Miles To Go Before I Sleep
by Titan5
Summary: All Sheppard wants is to get some sleep, but instead ends up lost in the basement of Atlantis with Zelenka.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Stargate Atlantis or any of the characters associated with it. This is just for fun.

The title is from the poem "Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening" by Robert Frost. I'm borrowing that too because it seemed so very appropriate.

Chapter One

Alarms began to whine as the stargate in Atlantis was activated. "Off world activation!" shouted one of the techs in the control room.

Weir approached the console. "Do we know who it is yet?"

"We're getting Colonel Sheppard's IDC." Weir nodded. Sheppard's team had been stranded off world now for four days, unable to get back to the gate. Communication had been spotty at best and she had been getting worried.

"Colonel Sheppard, this is Atlantis. What is your status?" she asked anxiously.

They could hear the sound of gunfire in the background before they heard his frantic voice. "Open the gate! We're coming in hot and we have to go NOW!"

"Lower the shield," she said to the tech next to her. To Sheppard she said, "You're clear to come through."

As soon as the shield was lowered, gunshots echoed across the gateroom, bullets slamming into the far wall. A few seconds later, Teyla and Ronon dove through the gate and rolled across the floor. McKay tumbled through a few moments later, followed closely by Sheppard sliding several feet on his belly. The gate was shut down the moment Sheppard hit the gateroom floor. All four team members lay on the cold, hard floor, breathing heavily. It was easy to see that they were all exhausted, their faces, arms, and uniforms smeared with blood, sweat, and dirt.

Weir called for a medical team to come to the gateroom as she ran down the steps. She came to Teyla first and kneeled beside her, helping the woman sit up.

"I am fine, Dr. Weir. Thank you."

Teyla did not seem seriously injured, so Weir moved over to McKay, who was groaning as he sat up. "Rodney, are you hurt?"

McKay grunted. "I don't know. I think I may have sprained my wrist. Did I hit my head when I came through?" He put his hand to his head, feeling around for bumps.

"You'll live Rodney. Carson should be here..."

Beckett and a medical team rushed into the gateroom. Since McKay was the closest, they headed for him first. One of the nurses made her way over to Teyla. Ronon was already getting to his feet and making his way over to check on Teyla. Weir walked over to Sheppard, who had managed to roll over on his back and was just lying on the floor, staring at the ceiling.

"Are you hurt?" she asked, kneeling beside him.

"No...just tired. I was thinking of taking a short nap while I was down here."

"The floor's kind of cold and hard, don't you think?" She grinned, realizing that he was okay.

"Nah...I'm too tired to care."

"Care to explain what happened? You're about three days late and I was actually starting to worry."

Sheppard looked up at her from his position on the floor. "Well, to make a long story...and I do mean a LONG story, short, we waltzed in on a wraith cullling party without an invitation. They don't take kindly to gate-crashers apparently. So after a four day running tour of the planet, we finally got to dial out to the alpha site this morning. We no sooner step through the gate, than people start shooting at us. I think we hit a Genii team scouting the planet."

"Genii? Are you sure?"

"No, I didn't have time to ask them for ID. But it sure looked like their uniforms and the weapons were right. I don't think they were looking for us. I think we just stumbled on them out looking around. What can I say? Our luck really sucks."

Weir sighed. "That's an understatement."

Beckett appeared beside Weir. "Do you need a ride to the infirmary, Colonel?"

Sheppard sighed heavily. "No, I'll walk." With that, he began getting to his feet and Elizabeth extended her hand to help him.

"We'll have a short debriefing to fill in some of the gaps after you've all been checked. Then you can get some rest." Sheppard nodded and followed after his team.

One by one, the dirty and exhausted team members drug into the infirmary. Each was directed to a bed, which they promptly plopped down on. Nurses spread out among them, taking pulse, blood pressure, and temperature as Beckett checked them for injuries one by one. He began with Ronon, knowing he would probably be the easiest. Even when injured, he required and accepted little treatment. Beckett cleaned his scrapes and scratches, told him to get some food and rest, and released him.

Next he checked Teyla, who required basically the same care and instructions. Before releasing her, however, he decided to do a little research. "Teyla, before ya go I wanted to ask if there's anythin' I should know about Colonel Sheppard? He has a tendency to downplay injuries or just skip tellin' me about them all together."

Teyla nodded understanding and smiled. "I do not believe the Colonel was injured. But..." she shook her head and stopped.

Beckett frowned. Seemed like there was always a "but" with Sheppard. "Tell me, lass. I can't help him if I don't know."

"It is nothing. I just...I don't think the Colonel slept much while we were on the planet. Every time I was on watch duty, I would see him up...checking with me or walking the perimeter of the camp. When he would finally lay down...it did not seem as if he slept. I believe he is still upset about the loss of Joe Taylor on the last mission."

"Oh, yeah. Wasn't that the lad's first off-world mission?"

"Yes, and he was killed while on guard duty as the rest of us slept. I believe the Colonel feels responsible and that is why he could not sleep."

"Knowing him, you're probably right, lass. Anythin' else?"

"No. I do not believe any of us were injured."

Beckett smiled warmly at her. "That's a small miracle in itself. Okay, you can go. Be sure to get somethin' to eat and then get some rest. I'm tellin' Elizabeth the whole team needs tomorrow off to get some sleep. You're all exhausted and bordering on dehydration. Be sure to drink plenty of water over the next day or two."

Beckett next turned his attention to McKay. "Okay, Rodney. What all is wrong with ya this time?"

McKay spent ten minutes telling the doctor why he was sure his wrist was sprained as Beckett examined it. "Ouch! Sprain, remember? Do you have to keep jerking it around like that?" McKay whined.

Sheppard smiled at Beckett's frustrated expression. He was so relieved to be home, his team safe and basically uninjured. Not like the last time. He'd screwed up royally on the last mission, allowing a gun-ho, yet inexperienced young soldier to do guard duty alone. He knew better than to do something foolhardy like that. His stupid mistake had cost the soldier his life. They had been attacked by an angry mob of villagers who thought they were there to steal from them, as others had apparently done in the past. He guessed they believed in shoot first, ask questions later. Taylor had been taken by surprise, managing to warn the camp, but not to save himself. Sheppard had really liked the kid's attitude and been certain he would be a fine soldier. But he'd put too much on the kid too soon.

Sheppard closed his eyes, seeing the kid's bloody, battered body as he rubbed his temples against the headache he knew was a product of his exhaustion. He hadn't slept more than two or three hours in four days and he knew he was at the end of his rope. He felt like his mind was...fuzzy...unfocused. He just wanted to go to his quarters and sleep.

"Colonel?" He opened his eyes to see Beckett, looking at him in concern.

"Hey doc. My turn?" He looked around. Only Rodney was still there, a nurse wrapping his wrist. "So, is he sprained?"

"No, I think he just twisted it, but that was the only way to calm him down. How are you?"

Sheppard looked at Beckett, knowing the exhaustion he felt had to show. "About as tired as I've ever been."

Beckett nodded. "That's how you look, son." Beckett checked Sheppard closely, but found nothing except a few scratches, as on the other team members. He cleaned the abrasions and was about to give the Colonel his eat/sleep/drink lecture when he noticed that Sheppard's eyes were closed. He watched a second, trying to decide if the pilot was actually asleep sitting up, when he noticed the Colonel slowly starting to lean to one side. He reached out and steadied Sheppard as he spoke.

"Colonel."

Sheppard's eyes opened and he yawned as he shifted to a more upright position. "Doc, we done?"

"Yes, we're done. I want you to get something to eat and then get some sleep. Drink lots of water over the next day or two. The whole lot of ya are bordering on dehydration. Teyla told me you didn't get much sleep out there. Sleep deprivation can have some serious consequences."

Sheppard looked down at his hands self-consciously. "Just trying to watch out for my team, doc. I've already gotten one kid killed this month. I wasn't looking to add anyone else."

"Colonel...you know you didn't get Taylor killed. People die in war. You can't change that."

"Yeah, well...this one could have been prevented."

"Colonel, you have to let it go. Guilt will eat you up." Beckett patted him on the arm reassuringly.

"Tell me about it," Sheppard whispered softly. He looked back up at Beckett. "Look, as soon as the debriefing is over and we get something to eat, I plan on sleeping for a day or two, okay? Can I go now?"

Beckett sighed. "Yes, Colonel, you can go." He watched as Sheppard joined McKay and they left the infirmary together, both tiredly dragging their feet.

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Sheppard and McKay were the last ones to arrive for the debriefing. Each sat down heavily in a chair and faced Elizabeth. Once again, she noted the tired eyes and the exhaustion that played out in each team member's body language.

"I know you are all worn out and need sleep, so we'll make this as brief as possible. You were only supposed to be gone for one day, two at the most. What happened?"

"Wraith," said Ronon matter of factly.

"Yes...I knew that. Could you be more specific?"

"We met the people at the village of Cowlan, as we had planned," began Teyla. "They were very agreeble to a trade relationship. We were about halfway back to the gate when wraith darts flew over us, headed toward the village."

Sheppard picked up the story at this point. "We did a 180 and went back to the village...but it was too late. The village was destroyed and everyone was either dead or...gone. We started to head back to the gate until some of the wraith on the ground began to chase us. We circled around back to the gate, barely staying a step ahead of them. It just took us an extra three days to get there. I guess you could say we took the scenic route. Anyway, the wraith were hot on our trail, so we decided to come home via the alpha site in case they were checking gate addresses. As soon as we stepped through, we were being fired upon. We never made it past the DHD. McKay dialed home while the rest of us layed down cover fire. We didn't get a real up close and personal look at them, but I suspect they were Genii. I think I glimpsed a uniform or two and the weapons are right for Genii."

Teyla nodded in agreement. "I also saw a uniform briefly and I believe our attackers to be Genii."

Elizabeth was not happy with the news. "There goes that alpha site. Guess we know what the next mission will be. It's a big galaxy. You'd think we'd quit running into them everywhere we go. Teyla, do you think it was just coincidence that the Genii were at the alpha site?"

"I do. There is no way they could have known about the alpha site. I believe they were just checking the planet out and we happened to come through at that time. It all happened so fast, I'm not sure if they knew it was us or not. It is possible they fired as a reflex action without knowing who they were firing on. They have been known to react that way in the past."

Elizabeth nodded. "We'll still need to find a new site. We can't risk running into the Genii there."

McKay decided to put in his two cents. "Not only were we running for our life for four days, but we had no provisions. We only took a couple of power bars and a little water because it was supposed to be a one day mission. We almost starved and Carson said we were all bordering on dehydration. Plus, we're all scratched and scraped and bruised. It's a miracle we weren't killed. You know..."

"Okay, Rodney. I get it," interrupted Weir. "Do we know if you are the reason the wraith attacked or if you just happened to be visiting at the wrong time?"

"I'm pretty sure it was bad timing," said Ronon. "It looked like they came for the village and we just happened to be there."

Elizabeth nodded, turning to Sheppard. "Would you..." she trailed off as she noticed Sheppard's head was bowed, his chin touching his chest. Was he snoring?

"Colonel?" No response. "Colonel!" she said, somewhat louder.

"What?" he said, jerking his head up. He moaned softly and rubbed the back of his neck.

"Be careful, Colonel," Elizabeth smirked "You'll give yourself whiplash."

Sheppard glanced around to see everyone looking at him, amused smiles on their faces. "Well, I may not be able to stay awake, but at least I've provided the entertainment portion of this meeting."

"Okay, I think I get the general idea. I can get specifics later. Why don't all of you get some food and then some sleep. You have tomorrow off, as per Dr. Beckett's request. Colonel, I'll need your report in a couple of days." Elizabeth nodded at them, indicating the meeting was over.

The tired group slowly got to their feet and shuffled out of the room. Elizabeth noticed Sheppard rubbing his neck as he and McKay exited the room. She grinned when she thought she heard him mumble, "Man, I think she really did give me whiplash."

TBC


	2. Chapter 2

First, I want to thank you for all the support and encouragement. I had a hard time getting started on this one, but you guys have made me very glad that I did.

Oh, I forgot something important in chapter one. I need to thank Rogue1503, even though she told me not to. She is my beta on this and has made some really awesome suggestions that got incorporated, greatly improving the final product. Mistakes are still all mine, but she's helping with the good stuff. Thanks!

Chapter Two

The team walked silently to the mess hall, where each gathered a tray of food. They found a table and sat down together, their movements slow and deliberate. They weren't sure if no one bothered them because they could see how tired the team was or because they looked and smelled so rough. None of them cared. They all had the same thought - eat and go to bed. They ate in silence for several minutes.

McKay closed his eyes and smiled. "Mmmmmm...food...finally. Do you realize this is the first real meal we've had in four days? I don't know about you guys, but I'm famished." The expression on his face as he chewed announced to all that he was savoring every bite. "Ya know, this stuff isn't half bad. I think I like the..."

He looked up to see Sheppard, potato-laden fork in hand, with his eyes closed and slowly starting to drift forward and downward.

"Colonel!" Sheppard's eyes snapped open as his head jerked up, causing him to grimace.

"What? Don't yell at me, McKay. I'm right here." He rubbed his neck and twisted his head to the side. "Oh," he groaned. "Whiplash again."

"Well, I wouldn't have to yell at you if you'd quit going to sleep in your food like a five-year old. I thought you were going to do a nose-dive into your mashed potatoes."

"I wasn't asleep," Sheppard said defensively. "I was...thinking about something."

McKay rolled his eyes. "Oh, p-l-ease. I may have been born at night, but it wasn't **last **night. Next time I'll let you continue "thinking" until your face is in your plate."

Sheppard sat there looking at his plate for a minute before putting his fork down and standing up. "I give. I can't keep my eyes open another minute. I'll eat something later. Good night guys! See you tomorrow...if I'm awake by then."

Teyla looked at McKay. "But it is not night."

"Earth expression. Just means he's going to bed. You usually go to bed at night, hence the saying, 'Good night'. We tend to say that, even if it's not actually night."

Teyla nodded and continued eating. McKay pulled Sheppard's tray over to his side of the table. "Can't let good food go to waste."

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Sheppard had almost made it to the door of his quarters when a woman with shoulder-length blonde hair and a lab coat flagged him down.

"Colonel Sheppard! You're just the man I need to see. We need to borrow you for a few minutes."

Sheppard stared at the woman, trying to remember her name. She seemed to sense his confusion. "Oh, I'm sorry. You probably don't remember me. I think we've only briefly met once. I'm Dr. Rita Marshall."

"O...kay. Who is 'we' and why do you need me? I've been off-world for four days, and to be perfectly honest, I'm exhausted."

"Well, Dr. Warren and I just need you to sit in the Ancient chair that operates the weapons for a while. We've found a device that attaches to the chair and we think it either increases the accuracy or the range of the drones. We have to analyze it while it's powered up, though, and no one else seems capable of completely powering up the chair. We've actually been on hold for two days waitingfor you to get back. Please, Colonel, just for a while. All you have to do is sit in the chair." Her eyes pleaded with him.

He rubbed his hand across his face and realized he was way past a five o'clock shadow and working on the beginnings of a beard. His mind wandered a minute as he considered the possibility of a beard. He should do it just to irritate Rodney. He almost laughed until Dr. Marshall cleared her throat rather loudly, abruptly bringing his attention back into focus.

"Doctor...I'm tired...I'm hungry...I'm dirty and I stink. I really just want a shower and a bed for about 20 hours."

"Please, Colonel. We've been on pins and needles for two whole days waiting for you to get back. It's really important or I wouldn't ask. All you have to do is sit...please..."

Sheppard was already mentally kicking himself as he gave in. "Okay...just for a little while." He sighed heavily as he followed the scientist down the hall and wondered exactly when he had lost control of the situation.

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Dr. Stanley Warren looked up as Dr. Marshall entered the chair room, chatting excitedly. She was followed by a very tired looking Colonel Sheppard. Warren was slightly taken aback by the dirty, sweaty uniform, bloodshot eyes complete with dark circles, and several days worth of beard growth. Somehow he had always envisioned the off world missions as some glamorous, exciting adventure straight out of the movie of the week. He'd never actually seen the shape the team members sometimes returned in. He decided right then and there that he was perfectly happy working right here in Atlantis. He found himself feeling sorry for the somewhat haggard individual before him.

"My God, Rita,...did you not even let the man get a shower?"

Dr. Marshall looked hurt. "Hey, I got him to come, didn't I?"

"He's exhausted! Colonel, I'm sorry...this can wait..."

"No, it can't. This is important," she insisted.

Sheppard's head was really starting to throb and he figured anything was better than listening to the two scientists argue. He wondered briefly if this is what Beckett felt like when he and McKay went at it. He probably owed the man about a million apologies. "Wait! Stop! Please...just stop. I'm here now and this** isn't **helping my headache. Let's just do this so I can go to bed."

They stood silently for a few moments before Dr. Warren said, "Okay...Colonel, if you'll just sit in the chair."

Sheppard obeyed and the chair instantly lit up and leaned back into a reclining position.

"That's good," said Dr. Marshall. "If you'll just stay there, we're going to attach our computers to the accessory device and take some readings."

"I can do that," Sheppard said quietly.

Sheppard suddenly sat up. "Wait...I'm really tired and...having a hard time focusing right now...Is there any chance I could...you know...inadvertently set off the drones or anything? I'd hate to destroy Atlantis because I let my mind wander."

"No," said Dr. Warren. "We've disconnected the weaponry to avoid any accidents either from your end or ours. We didn't want to take any chances of our probing setting off the weapons either. It's perfectly safe."

"Oh...okay." Sheppard relaxed and leaned back in the chair. "Just checking."

The two scientists kneeled beside the back panel on the chair and began working. Sheppard let his mind wander for a few minutes before he ended up replaying the events of the deadly mission that had taken Joe Taylor's life, trying to figure out exactly what had gone wrong. An hour later, the scientists were still hard at work when the chair lost power and shut off.

Dr. Marshall popped up immediately. "Colonel, what happened?" She looked down at Sheppard, who was fast asleep. Exasperated, she shook his shoulder. "Colonel, wake up."

Sheppard blinked several times before he got his eyes open. "W...What?"

"Colonel, you have to wake up! The chair won't stay powered up if you go to sleep," she said.

"Oh...sorry...guess I drifted off." He yawned and rubbed his eyes. For a moment he wished his head would just go ahead and explode. Let Dr. Rita try to keep the chair powered up with his brains splattered all over it. He laughed out loud at the thought.

"Colonel...is something funny?" she asked sternly.

"Sorry..." he said sheepishly. "Just having...weird thoughts...I'll try to stay awake."

Dr. Marshall nodded. "Well, please do."

He thought about saluting, but decided that wasn't the best course of action. He grinned as she sat back down in the floor and resumed her work. He felt...silly...giddy. He supposed it was from the lack of sleep. He could hear the two scientists arguing about something and he focused on their voices, trying desperately to stay awake. He succeeded for a while, but then his thoughts faded back to the planet. Soon, he was back with his team, running from the wraith. McKay was dialing the gate as he brought up the rear, firing against the approaching enemy. Suddenly, he felt something brush against him and his arm shot out, his hand closing around the throat of a wraith.

"Colonel! Colonel, let go!"

The frantic, pleading voice was not that of a wraith, and the wraith face faded away, slowly being replaced by the terrified face of Rita Marshall. Dr. Warren was pulling on his arm and begging him to let go.

He jerked his hand back and pulled away from her, his eyes wide in confusion and fear. "I...I'm ...sorry..." he stammered, trying to climb out of the Ancient chair. " I was...dreaming of the wraith...didn't realize it was you..."

Dr. Marshall was rubbing her throat, nervously watching Sheppard's retreat. Dr. Warren seemed to have calmed her down a little. "It's okay Colonel," he said. "We understand...no harm done. I think it's best if we continue this another time so that you can get some rest."

Sheppard, grateful for the dismissal, nodded. "Yes...you're right...another time. Once again...I'm sorry about that...reflex action...Are you okay?"

He moved to step forward, causing Rita to flinch back against Dr. Warren. "I...I'm okay, Colonel. Like he said...no harm done. It just...startled me."

Sheppard nodded and then looked at the floor a second in embarrassment before moving to leave. He mumbled "I'm sorry," one more time as he left.

Dr. Warren turned to Rita Marshall as soon as Sheppard was gone. "I told you to leave the man alone until he got some sleep. He was dead on his feet."

"Well, he didn't have to strangle me to make the point," she retorted.

"Oh...I don't know about **that**. Sometimes I think that may be the **only** way to get your attention. I 've thought about trying it myself a time or two."

"Well!" she huffed as she stormed off.

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Sheppard walked quickly down the hall, anxious to get to his quarters and silently berating himself as he went. Relations between the military and scientific communities were often strained and he hadn't helped that situation at all. He half expected to find soldiers at his door, waiting to arrest him for assault or worse, but the hall was empty. He breathed a sigh of relief as his door opened.

"Colonel!"

He froze. Okay, maybe he wasn't out of the woods just yet. He slowly turned around, expecting the worst. One young soldier was hurrying down the hall, looking very worried. Sheppard relaxed and leaned against the door frame, resting his head against the edge.

"Colonel, sir, I have a problem, sir...and sir, I need your help."

Sheppard thought with dismay that the boy looked to be about twelve. He cringed when he realized that probably meant he was getting old...well, old for a soldier. Career military people had a somewhat shortened life expectancy compared to the general population and he was sure that being in the Pegasus Galaxy cut a few more years off of that.

He opened his mouth to reply and then closed it, realizing he had almost called the young marine 'son'. He wasn't sure if that came from being around Beckett so much or was a product of his 'old age' thoughts. He had to focus.

"I think you just called me sir three times in one sentence...or at least in one thought." His mind wandered off to sentence structure for a moment before he noticed the young soldier looking at him expectantly. He really had to quit having these bird walking mind trips or people would think he was losing it.

"I'm taking it something is wrong. Care to share?"

"Y...y...yes, sir," he responded nervously. "I...uh...that is...there are six handguns missing from the last weapons shipment."

"Define missing," Sheppard said evenly as he straightened up, fully awake now.

"Well, sir...we cataloged stuff as it was removed from the Daedalus yesterday, but I'm just now unpacking and stowing things. When I unpacked the handgun crate, there were six less than the inventory says there should be."

Sheppard rubbed his forehead, realizing that his headache had expanded to the point he felt his eyeballs were about to pop out of his head.

"Sir, are you okay?"

"No, son..." Oh, crap. Did he just say son? "No,...I"m tired...I'm hungry...I'm dirty...and apparently I'm going with you to look for guns."

"I'm ...I'm sorry, sir. I thought you'd want to know."

"I do. You did the right thing. Let's go have a look." He stepped out of the doorway and heard the door slide shut behind him. He'd been so close.

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An hour and a half later, Sheppard and Sgt. Jennings had just unpacked the last crate of weapons with no sign of the missing guns. Sheppard looked around the room, aware that the adrenalin rush from earlier had long ago worn off and his energy was fading fast.

"What is that?" he asked Jennings, pointing to a large wooden crate filled with packing material.

"Oh, that was the only crate we unpacked yesterday. It had the larger weapons in it."

Sheppard walked over to the crate and looked in. It was relatively large and stood about four feet tall. He bent over head first into the crate, digging through the packing material until his head and arms disappeared. Jennings thought for a minute that his CO was going to flip over backwards into the crate when Sheppard seemed to lose his footing. Jennings wasn't sure if it was acceptable procedure to grab your CO by the belt or not. As he decided he should probably do something and began to move forward, Sheppard suddenly came up out of the crate and stood up.

As soon as Sheppard was vertical, the wave of dizziness hit him hard and his vision grayed. The world tilted and he felt his butt hit the ground hard, jarring his teeth. "Ah, crap!" He sat there a second as his vision slowly cleared.

Jennings was kneeling beside him, staring worriedly. "Are you okay, Colonel? Should I call Dr. Beckett?"

"Heck, no! Head rush, Sgt. Apparently you shouldn't stand on your head several minutes and then stand up real fast." He rubbed his hip and winced. "Kind of hard on the posterior, if you get my drift. On the plus side, I may have found your missing guns."

They both looked at the rectangular box in Sheppard's lap that he had retrieved from the depths of the crate. He opened the lid to reveal six handguns packed in foam.

"And there you go! Your missing handguns. Sometimes they double pack a crate to keep from having to add an extra one. You've just gotta know where to look."

"Oh thank you Colonel Sheppard! I thought I was going to get court-martialed for sure."

The two men stood up and Sheppard handed the marine the box. "Make sure you get those properly recorded and stowed away, Sgt."

"Yes, sir. And thank you, sir. I'm sorry to waste your time with this."

"No problem. Just check more thoroughly next time. And please, hold it together for a few more hours. I **really** need some sleep."

"Yes, sir!" The marine saluted and Sheppard very loosely returned the salute. As Sheppard left the room, Jennings whispered, "Good night, sir."

TBC


	3. Chapter 3

Thanks for all the reviews. You guys are really getting me pumped up. I'm sorry for the delay. Bit of a crisis at home and grades are due Monday and I still have one class of insect collections to grade (that's about as much fun as it sounds).

nitpicker - I see you have discovered that spelling and grammar are not my forte. I'm sure those were not my first mistakes. I'm equally sure they will not be my last. I think I have both errors corrected. I have heard voila a lot, but I guess I never noticed how it was spelled. And I definitely never took French. I did, however, know what a viola was. Anyway, thanks for setting me straight and I'm glad I could give you a laugh. At least my ignorance has a useful purpose - entertainment! (LOL)

Chapter Three

Sheppard realized he was dragging his feet down the hall, but he really didn't care. He was almost there. He was going to bed this time come hell or high water.

"Colonel Sheppard?"

He cringed, recognizing the voice. He stopped and turned slowly to see Kate Heightmeyer approaching him. She looked somewhat surprised when he turned around, reminding him of how rough he probably looked.

Kate gasped slightly at the sight of Sheppard. She had noticed him shuffling down the corridor, but was still unprepared for his haggard appearance. She noted how rumpled and dirty his clothes were.

"Colonel...I was just concerned that you missed your appointment yesterday to discuss the loss of one of your men."

"I was off world yesterday. We've been running from the wraith for four days and the only thing I feel like doing is going to bed. So, unless you want me sleeping in your office, we'll have to do it another time."

Any other time, she would have thought he was just putting her off, but she could see the exhaustion in his face. "Okay...just check with me when you've had a chance to rest and we'll reschedule."

"Fine," he said, too tired to argue. He turned and quickly rounded the corner, afraid Heightmeyer would change her mind. He almost ran headlong into Carson Beckett.

"Colonel! What are you doin' out here? I thought I told you to get some rest hours ago." He was obviously annoyed.

"I'm trying," Sheppard said defensively. "Suddenly everyone in Atlantis needs me to do something for them right now. Believe me...all I want to do is crawl into bed."

"Well, see to it that you do, Colonel. I'd hate to have to hunt you down and sedate you. Have you ever thought of just telling these people no? Sometimes you have to just take care of yourself."

"Say no, huh? Interesting thought. I may just try that, doc. Now...if I could please just get to my quarters."

Beckett nodded. "Good idea, son. I think I'll walk with you to make sure you don't get side-tracked again."

"Suit yourself." Sheppard was too tired to care that he was being escorted to his quarters like a disobedient child to his room. He honestly thought he was going to fall on his face if he didn't get to sleep soon. He tilted his head to one side, rubbing his neck, which was beginning to feel a little stiff. He wondered if you really could give yourself whiplash jerking your head up like he had.

"Is there a problem, Colonel?" asked Beckett, watching him massage his aching neck muscles.

Sheppard put his arm down. There was no way he was admitting what he had just been thinking. "No...no problem. Just tired and stiff and sore...you know." Sheppard reinforced his case with a smile that seemed to satisfy Beckett. They continued walking in silence.

"Colonel?" Sheppard turned to look at Beckett. "We're here." Sheppard realized he had been about to walk right past his door.

"Oh...right," he said blankly. He opened the door, saying "Thanks," to Beckett as the door swooshed shut behind him. He stood in the middle of the room a minute, trying to decide if he had the energy to shower. He really felt gritty and could almost smell the dirt and sweat. He opted for a short shower.

He stripped, climbed in the shower, and let the hot water spray over him, relaxing the sore, tense muscles as it washed away four days worth of grime. When he finally felt clean again, he stepped out of the shower, dried off, and wrapped a towel around his waist.

He looked at the developing beard in the mirror. Shaving could wait until after he had slept a while. He walked back into his room to find some clean clothes and heard the radio filled with chatter. Something was definitely going on. He stared at it a minute, willing himself not to touch it. "Don't even think about it, Sheppard," he said out loud. In the end, he lost. He couldn't ignore a possible crisis any more than McKay could ignore unattended food. He clipped the radio on his ear and listened for several minutes. He quickly figured out that Dr. Zelenka had been helping explore one of the uninhabited regions of the city when he had disappeared. It sounded like he had been missing almost an hour. Sheppard finally clicked in.

"Elizabeth, this is John. What area of the city were they exploring?"

There was a brief pause and he wondered if she had heard him. "John...I thought you were supposed to be sleeping."

"Well, I'm not. Where did Zelenka go missing?"

"They can handle it. We have search teams down there now. Get some sleep."

"Elizabeth, do you honestly think I can sleep with a man missing? You can either tell me the location or I'll just contact Sgt. Bates. It doesn't matter to me which way we do it, but I AM going down there."

Another pause. He knew she was thinking. He could almost see the somewhat annoyed expression on her face as she tried to decide what to do with her stubborn second in command. She finally caved in and gave him directions to their location. He quickly dressed in a clean uniform and gathered his gear, the adrenalin once again giving him the energy he needed. He hesitated on the way out, seeing a couple of powerbars on his desk. He realized the few bites he had eaten earlier in the mess hall weren't going to go very far and he was really starting to feel hungry again. As if to emphasize the point, his stomach growled loudly. He grabbed the bars, shoving one in a vest pocket and unwrapping the other to eat on the way. He hoped Zelenka was okay. He really liked the little scientist. He had a lot of fire and was not afraid to take on either McKay and his snark or Kavanagh and his ego. The man could usually hold his own very well against either one of them. In his book, either feat commanded a lot of respect.

By the time he reached the nearest transporter, he had already wolfed down the powerbar. The problem was, he now felt like he had a lump of it in the back of his throat and he was wishing he had grabbed a bottle of water. They had ended up rationing their water supplies over the four days and he was just starting to realize how thirsty he was. No sleep - no water - Beckett was going to be plenty mad at him. He stepped into the transporter, pushed the button, and leaned against the wall. He closed his eyes for a minute, wishing the throbbing in his head would go away.

He opened his eyes to see the transporter doors open. That was funny. He barely remembered them closing. He looked down at his watch, somewhat shocked to discover that twenty minutes had passed. He'd apparently dozed off and stood in the transporter all that time. He rubbed his face vigorously, trying to wake himself up. As he hurried down the corridor toward the area where the search was taking place, he reminded himself that Zelenka had been missing quite a while and could be injured. By the time he saw Bates waiting for him in the hall several minutes later, he had himself somewhat energized again.

"Sgt. Bates? Fill me in."

"Sir, we've been exploring this sector of the city most of the day. We were all to meet back at our starting point at 1400 hours. Dr. Zelenka never showed. We've been back through all the rooms and we can't find him. I have one crew researching this area and another expanding into adjacent corridors in case he wandered off."

Sheppard nodded. "Did he have his radio?"

"Yes, sir. It was working earlier in the day, but we haven't been able to raise him since he diappeared."

"Okay. Sounds like you've got it under control. I'm just going to give the place a once-through." He noticed Bates was looking at him funny. "Is there a problem, Sgt.?"

"No, sir...it's just that...we can handle this, sir. I know you just got back from being off world...and, if I can speak freely, sir...you look like crap."

Sheppard smiled. "Yeah, I know. I'd probably scare little kids if we had any around. I'm okay though. Hey, at least I got a shower. I know I have to smell better than I did earlier. I'll feel better if I can just take a look around myself."

Bates nodded. "Okay, sir. I'm going back to the men. You'll probably want to start there," he pointed to the first room in the hall, "and just continue down the corridor."

"Thank you Sgt. Dismissed."

Sheppard searched three rooms before exhaustion once again began to rear its ugly head. On the fourth room, he sat down in a chair and leaned back, closing his eyes. "Just for a minute," he said to himself.

"Colonel." He jerked upright so fast he almost fell out of the chair. The chair teetered dangerously to the left as he slid his foot out trying to regain his balance. After a few seconds of balancing precarilously on two legs, he finally righted the chair.

Sighing with relief, he clicked his radio button. "Sheppard here."

"Sir, this is Bates. We're moving on to the next section. We couldn't find anything here."

"Acknowledged. I'll check in with you later."

"Yes, sir. Bates out."

Sheppard sat for a moment, debating whether to continue searching or just give up and go to bed. And then he saw something.

He got up and walked slowly over to an inset area in the wall. It was almost like a small closet with no door. Just around to the right, was a small piece of fabric, somehow caught in the joint of the back corner. The small piece of fabric did not look like it was 10,000 years old. He leaned against the side of the inset to give himself leverage as he tugged on the fabric. A second later, he was falling through the darkness. He felt his right hip connect with something solid, followed by a sharp, searing pain in his right thigh. Then he hit the ground and the lights really went out.

TBC

This chapter is a little short, but it was such a good place to end, don't you think?


	4. Chapter 4

I guess you guys know that you are seriously spoiling me with the reviews. So much so, that here I sit typing chapter four instead of working on grades - you know, the ones due at 9am in the morning. I will so pay for this tonight. But, what can I say. Hopelessly addicted. Is there a Fanfiction Anonymous? I think I might need it.

Thanks again to my wonderful beta (Rogue1503), who fixes my rough spots where I went blank.

Chapter Four

Sheppard was vaguely aware of movement near him and then a somewhat familiar voice.

"Colonel Sheppard?" Sheppard opened his eyes, but couldn't see anything at first. It was dark. "Colonel Sheppard, is that you?" the voice asked unsurely. Sheppard recognized the accent.

"Dr. Zelenka?" Sheppard tried to sit up, but quickly changed his mind at the rush of pain and dizziness that assaulted him. "Ohhhh," he moaned, putting his hand to his head. He could feel the bump rising on the back of his head.

"Colonel Sheppard, are you all right?" Sheppard realized that Zelenka was now sitting beside him.

"Yeah...just give me a second to get my bearings." He was finally beginning to pick out some vague shapes in the darkness. "Where the heck are we?"

"I am not sure. It appears to be a lower floor...sort of like a ...basement. I have not been able to see very well to check it out."

"Well, I can fix that." Sheppard attempted to sit up again, this time having more success. His head was throbbing, but the dizziness and sharp pain had subsided some. He felt around for his P90 and, finding it, turned the light at the end on. Nothing happened.

"Well, crap. What else can go wrong?" Sheppard whacked the end of the gun and the light flicked on. "There. That's more like it."

"Is that how you usually fix things?" asked Zelenka.

"Hey, whatever works," replied Sheppard.

"Remind me not to let you near our lab equipment," said Zelenka, shaking his head in obvious disapproval.

Sheppard pointed the light around the room. His head and upper back had been on the floor, but his legs were partially on a large pile of twisted metal debris. He put his free hand down on the floor and scooted himself backwards so that his legs werre flat on the floor. The movement woke a screaming pain in his right thigh, just above the knee. Shining the flashlight down, he saw a bloody six inch tear in his pants leg. That wasn't good news.

"Colonel, are you injured?" asked Zelenka, trying to see what Sheppard was looking at.

Sheppard quickly moved the light towards Zelenka, careful not to shine the light in his face. "I'm good. What about you? Are you injured? You've been down here quite a while. When you didn't check in, Sgt. Bates raised the alarm. He's got a search party out scouring the place for you."

"I'm not hurt bad. I have scratches and bruises and...I hurt my ankle. I found a panel that looked like a door and all of a sudden I am falling - down here."

"Let's see if we can get some help." He reached up to hit his radio, only to realize that he didn't have it any more. "Ohhhh, man...my radio is gone." He shined the flashlight around the pile of metal. "If it came off in there, we'll never find it. What about your radio?"

"Broken. I have tried to get it to work, but it is no good. It is dead."

"Great. What about a way out of here?" He pointed the light up the wall about 15 feet to see a closed door. "That must be where I fell in." He moved the light around the room and realized that the pile of twisted metal he had fallen into was the remains of a destroyed staircase. "O...kay. Guess we won't be going out the way we came in. I'm assuming you've tried yelling?"

"Oh, yes, Until my throat hurt. No one could hear me."

"Great. Well...looks like we're on our own for a while. Let's take a look at that ankle." He winced as he turned to face Zelenka, the action spiking the pain in his leg. Zelenka scooted his left ankle in front of Sheppard. The Colonel carefully untied Zelenka's boot, loosened the shoestrings, and pulled the boot off. Zelenka groaned a little as the shoe slid off his foot.

"Sorry, Dr. Zelenka. I'm trying to be careful."

"I know, Colonel. It is all right."

Sheppard peeled Zelenka's sock off to reveal a very swollen, black and blue ankle. "Woh, doc, I'd say your ankle is either broken or badly sprained. We'd better try to immobilize it as best we can." Sheppard began going through his vest and pulled out two field bandages. "I think these will do." He carefully wound the bandages, one at a time, around the scientist's ankle. "How's that, doc? Not too tight is it?"

Zelenka let out a long breath, as if he had been holding it as the Colonel worked on his ankle. "That is fine, Colonel. Yes, that will work."

"I hate to say this, but we probably need to try and work that boot back on your foot. I don't think you want to move around here barefoot." Sheppard loosened the boot as much as possible before gently working it back on Zelenka's foot. Zelenka tried not to make any noise, but finally moaned during the final push of the shoe. He sat breathing heavily and gritting his teeth for several moments.

"You okay, Dr. Zelenka? I'm sorry ...I tried not to hurt you." Sheppard looked worriedly at Zelenka.

"No...I am fine. I know you only did what you had to, Colonel. I just needed a moment to catch my breath."

"Okay. Look, why don't you stay put a minute while I look around." Sheppard started to get up, but quickly sat back down as the movement sent stabbing pain through his thigh. His hip hurt too, but nothing like his thigh. He pointed the flashlight down at the injury and pulled the torn fabric back a little. He quickly realized that the long gash was a lot deeper than he had originally thought and still seemed to be bleeding.

"That looks deep," said Zelenka, echoing his thoughts. "Do you have any more field dressings left?"

Sheppard went through a couple more pockets, pulling out one more bandage. "Got one. Just let me get this on my leg and I'm good to go." Zelenka held the light while Sheppard wrapped the bandage around his lower thigh. He grunted slightly as he pulled it tight and tied it off. He sat for a second, breathing heavily and wiping the sweat from his face. He was starting to wish he'd passed on the powerbar he had eaten earlier as it threatened to make a return appearance.

"Colonel?"

"I'm good," Sheppard said. "Just...give me a second." As the pain began to ease into a dull throb and his stomach settled, Sheppard turned to Zelenka and retrieved the P90. The scientist was more than happy to return the weapon. Sheppard once again pointed the weapon around the room. "Look at that," he said, shining the light against the far wall. "Is that water damage?" They both looked at the stains that went almost ten feet up the wall.

"Yes, Colonel. I believe that is water damage. It looks like this area may have flooded during the storm. That is the most recent damage...but some of this looks older. I believe this section has flooded on more than one occasion."

"Yeah...I see what you mean. I just hope it doesn't flood any time soon. There's bound to be another way out of here," he said, trying to sound confident and not just hopeful. He continued moving the light along the wall until it came to a door at the far end of the room. "And there we go. I guess we head that way." With that, Sheppard struggled to his feet, the movement once again sending spikes of pain through his leg. This really wasn't turning out to be his day. He reached out and helped Zelenka to his feet.

"Hang on a sec, doc." He looked around a minute, then limped a few feet away. Bending over, he picked up a large metal pole and tested it's strength. Satisfied, he limped back over to Zelenka. "See if you can use this kind of like a walking stick. It's not as good as crutches, but it's the best we can do right now."

Zelenka leaned on the pole to take some of the weight off his ankle and limped a few steps. "Yes...this will work fine Colonel. I may not be able to move very fast, however."

Sheppard smiled. "Well, in case you haven't noticed, I'm not exactly going to be running a marathon any time soon. As long as we can move forward to look for a way out, I don't think speed will be a problem."

"That I can do."

"Okay, then, Let's get out of here." The two men limped slowly forward, with Sheppard shining the light on their path as they left the room and headed into a darkened hallway.

The hall was littered with debris, causing the two hobbling men to crawl along at a snail's pace. Since they had no idea where an exit might be and Sheppard did not want to take any chance of having to retrace their steps, they checked out every room they passed. Two things that were consistent throughout the whole area seemed to be major water damage and a total lack of power. The fact that the whole level looked as though it had been flooded repeatedly to the extent that almost everything was ruined made both men a little nervous.

Almost an hour after they had begun their trek, the hall widened into an enormous room. Sheppard shined the light around and as it moved against the opposite wall, it flickered and then went out.

"Not again," Sheppard muttered. He smacked the end of the gun a couple of times and the light came back on. He continued moving it across the room until he got to the far end. Both men gasped.

"What are they?" asked Zelenka.

Sheppard began moving towrds the other side of the room. "They look like...some kind of...mutated puddle jumper."

Several ships that looked very similar to the puddle jumpers lay piled at strange angles. Apparently the flooding had picked them up and deposited them into an ungainly heap. Sheppard hobbled closer to get a better look, Zelenka a few steps behind him.

At first glance, the crafts could have been mistaken for puddle jumpers. But these were different. They were sleeker, their angles more rounded. Instead of the single large front window they were used to, there were only smaller, rounder portals, more like...Then it hit him.

"Oh my gosh!" exclaimed Sheppard excitedly. "I think they are some kind of...watercraft...you know, like mini-subs or something." He looked around for a way in, but the ships were so jammed together that it was impossible. Frustrated, he looked around with the light for a way to get them out. After several minutes, he found what looked like massive sliding panels in the floor. "Maybe these open and they somehow get down into the water from here."

Zelenka nodded. "Maybe. When we get out, we must try to get power to here and then we can see. Think of the ...exploring we could do with a water ship."

"Could be fun," said Sheppard. He patted one of the ships. "We'll be back. Don't you worry." He turned to find Zelenka looking at him as if he'd lost his mind. He just grinned. "It's a pilot thing."

"Uh, huh."

"You about ready for a rest?" He had noticed Zelenka's movements getting slower and more labored. Truth be told, he was hurting pretty badly himself. He'd started this little adventure running on fumes and the tank was pretty much empty at this point. It was sit down or fall down.

"Yes, Colonel...I could use a rest." Zelenka was not ready to admit it, but his ankle was throbbing relentlessly and he was exhausted from the hobbling gait he was using to take the weight off the injury.

Sheppard pointed to an area at the side of the room next to the wall that was relatively free of the debris that seemed to litter most of the floor. "Let's have a seat."

The two men put their back to the wall and carefully slid to the floor, each favoring his injured leg. They sat in the dark, hurting, thirsty, and exhausted. Sheppard turned the light off to conserve the batteries. "Is it hot in here, or is that just me?" he asked, wiping sweat from his forehead.

"No, not just you.. It is hot...and very humid. Feels like a ...sauna."

"Yeah, it is humid. Throw in a few trees and animal noises and I'd think we were in the jungle. I don't guess you have any water, do you?" Sheppard's mouth was so dry he felt like he'd been sucking on his shirt.

"No, no water. Do you?" Zelenka asked hopefully, obviously thirsty himself.

"I'm afraid not. I should have thought of that. Guess I'm so tired I'm not thinking straight."

"We will rest and then we will find a way out. Then we can get water."

Sheppard smiled. "I like the way you think, Dr. Zelenka." He was so tired. His leg hurt and his head hurt and his eyelids felt like they had lead in them. 'Out' seemed like such a far away place right now.

After a few minutes, Zelenka turned to Sheppard. "Do you think we will find our way out?" When Sheppard didn't answer, Zelenka leaned a little closer in the darkness. The Colonel's eyes were closed and his breathing even. He was asleep. Zelenka settled back against the wall, grateful for the chance to rest.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Elizabeth Weir sat looking blankly at the computer screen. Zelenka had been missing for over three hours now and she was becoming more concerned by the minute. She hadn't heard anything for a while and was thinking of calling for an update.

"Dr. Weir, this is Sgt. Bates."

"This is Weir. Have you found anything yet?"

"Not exactly. Uh, ma'm...we have a problem. Colonel Sheppard is now missing as well. He's not answering his radio and we can't find him anywhere."

Weir sat there, stunned beyond words. That was not at all what she expected to hear.

"How did that happen?"

"He was searching the original section we started in. I checked with him a little over an hour ago to let him know we were moving on to the next sector. I tried to check with him about 30 minutes ago, but I couldn't raise him on the radio. I sent a couple of men to look for him and...they can't find anything. It's like he and Dr. Zelenka just dropped of the face of the earth...er, planet."

"Could he have gone back to his quarters? He's pretty exhausted."

"It's possible, ma'm...but I think he would have let me know."

"I agree, but I'll send someone to check anyway and let you know what they find. In the mean time,...I guess just keep looking. They've got to be somewhere."

"Yes, ma'm. Bates out."

Elizabeth put her head in her hands. Next time she would just have Carson sedate him. It would be a lot easier on all of them.

TBC

Sidebar for anyone who is interested. The motivation for this came from a three day run of no sleep when I was in grad school. A friend and I had a huge insect collection due Saturday at 6am. We began putting the finishing touches on it at 5am Wednesday and worked continuously (between going to classes and teaching labs) until we finished at 4am Saturday. We went home once a day to take a shower and change clothes. I distinctly remember that on Friday, every time I sat down more than 10 or 15 minutes, I would doze off. It was so miserable because I still had so much to do. I also vaguely remember us chasing that one last insect down the main hall with a cup from the garbage can and dragging a chair to stand in, giggling like a couple of drunks. We were quite nuts by Friday. I can't even imagine going longer without sleep. Well, I guess that's not true - since here I am doing just that. Poor Sheppard.


	5. Chapter 5

Thank you so very, very, very much for all the reviews. I love you guys to pieces. Sorry this is going kind of slow. RL is a big, sucking leech right now, but I'm really trying my best to update ASAP.

Chapter Five

Although Zelenka was tired, he wasn't particularly sleepy, so he just enjoyed the chance to rest as Sheppard slept. He was perfectly content to do nothing but listen to the even sounds of the Colonel's breathing, finding it somewhat comforting in this dark, damp cavern...at least for the first 20 minutes. Then he began to think about the flooding and the darkness and what might be living in the darkness. He nervously pushed his glasses up farther on his nose, trying to see across the room. There simply wasn't enough light.

Sheppard stirred and muttered in his sleep, startling Zelenka. He thought he heard the sounds of shifting metal somewhere down the corridor. He tried to tell himself that they were natural, settling sounds, but he couldn't quite make himself believe it. He finally gave in to his fears about 40 minutes into Sheppard's nap and woke the man up.

"Colonel Sheppard?" Zelenka gently grasped Sheppard's shoulder and shook him. "Colonel, I think we should keep moving." Zelenka certainly wasn't going to tell the Colonel that he was waking him because he was afraid of the dark. Sheppard, however, wasn't in any hurry to wake up. Zelenka suddenly remembered that he had hit his head in the fall and realized that he might have a concussion. That worried the scientist even more. Should he have kept him awake? His pleas became more urgent at the thought of having to find the way out all by himself. "Colonel Sheppard, please wake up!" This time he shook Sheppard more vigorously.

Sheppard's arms flew out in a defensive motion. "What? Stop that. What the..." he sat up abruptly from his position of leaning his head back against the wall. For the third time that day, he jerked and pulled his neck muscles. "Ohhhhh, man that smarts." he said as he clutched and rubbed at the aching muscles. He carefully tried to roll his head in a circle while putting pressure on the offended muscles, groaning slightly as he did so. "I've really got to stop doing that." He sat still for a few minutes, trying to get his bearings and remember what was going on. He looked over at Zelenka, barely able to see him in the dark.

"Hey, Dr. Z. Guess I dozed off on you. Sorry about that."

Dr. Zelenka was so relieved to have the Colonel awake, he didn't care. "Quite all right, Colonel. I understand you just got back from a mission today and that you are probably very tired. I know you were overdue because I was waiting for Rodney to continue an experiment we had started earlier."

"Yeah, our little one day stint turned into four days of running from a wraith party. Guess I'm pretty wiped out. I was on my way to bed when I heard the radio chatter about you being missing. You know me,... can't resist a challenge." He grinned. "Beckett's gonna kill me, though. And with this leg, there won't be any way to hide from him."

Zelenka nodded in understanding. "Dr. Beckett does get angry when his patients do not follow his orders. I would protect you if I could, Colonel."

"That's okay...I can handle Beckett. Besides, I'm glad I came. We may be lost, but it's gotta beat being lost alone. Hey, are you hungry? I've got a powerbar in my vest and I know you've been down here for several hours now." He reached into his vest pocket and pulled out the powerbar, offering it to Zelenka.

"What about you? We could share it," Zelenka offered.

"No, I'm good. I had one on the way down here and it's not settling too well at the moment. I just wish we had some water. I swear, I could drink a gallon." He handed the powerbar to Zelenka and wiped the sweat from his face. He realized that his shirt was wet with sweat and he could feel the tickle of a drop running down his lower back. His legs were starting to go to sleep, making him want to get up and move around, in spite of his tiredness.

"Why don't you relax and eat your powerbar. I'm going to walk around the room and see if I can find another door out." He started to bend both legs in order to get up, forgetting about the large gash on his right thigh. He was quickly reminded as the movement sent white hot pain shooting through his leg. A sharp intake of breath along with the action of grabbing the leg around the sides of the injury alerted Zelenka to what Sheppard had done.

"Colonel Sheppard..."

"I'm fine. Just...forgot for a minute." He waited for a few seconds as the pain came back down to a manageable level. He then carefully used the wall to help him stand up. He continued to lean heavily against the wall as a wave of dizziness and nausea washed over him. He closed his eyes against it, thinking _I will not puke or pass out in front of Zelenka_. He knew he needed to to be steady for the nervous scientist.

"Colonel...maybe you should sit back down for a minute." Zelenka sounded worried, which only served to strengthen Sheppard's resolve to hold himself together.

"No...I'm okay. I"m just going to take a look around for a minute." He limped slowly at first, knowing his leg would be stiff and sore from the time spent sitting. After a few steps, his leg began to loosen up and he could move a little more freely. He went all the way around the room, shining the flashlight at the wall as he searched for a different exit. Eventually, he realized he had made it all the way around the room and back to Zelenka. His leg was beginning to really ache again.

"Well...how in the world...I know there has to be another door to this place. How did I miss it?" Sheppard was equally confused and annoyed.

"Help me up and I will help you look."

Sheppard limped over to Zelenka and extended his hand. "I'd let you stay there and rest, but apparently I'm blind along with being sleepy. I guess I need your help on this. I know there is another door to this room or my name isn't John Sheppard."

Zelenka put one hand on the wall for support as he gave the other one to Sheppard, who pulled him up to his feet without the scientist having to expend much energy. The man was stronger than he looked, Zelenka thought. Zelenka mirrored Sheppard's actions from earlier, leaning against the wall as a wave of dizziness passed over him.

"Welcome to my world," said Sheppard, recognizing the look. "You okay?"

"I'm okay," said Zelenka as the dizziness passed and he steadied himself. The two men began slowly making their way around the room. They had made it about halfway around when Zelenka stopped the Colonel. "Wait! Shine the light up there. I guess your name really is John Sheppard, because there's the other door." Zelenka pointed to the top of a large pile of debris stacked against the wall.

Sheppard pointed the light at the indicated location. "I don't..." Then he saw what Zelenka had seen. Behind the top of the heap of twisted metal, he could just make out the top of the doorway. "Oh...great." He sighed heavily, the thought of moving all that debris making him even more tired. "Guess I'd better get started. This could take a while."

"I can help," offered Zelenka. But as he stepped forward, he put more weight on his foot that he had intended, causing him to cry out in pain as he tumbled to the floor.

"Doc!" yelled Sheppard, rushing forward to Zelenka's side. Zelenka was clasping his lower leg and rocking back and forth, his eyes squeezed shut in pain. Sheppard put his arm around Zelenka's chest and gently dragged him the rest of the way to the wall, propping his back up against it. He gave the scientist a minute to get over the shock of the sudden pain. "Dr. Z...let me take a look."

After a minute, Zelenka's breathing evened out some and he looked at Sheppard, the lines of pain still evident on his face. "Colonel...if you ...remove the shoe...it will not...go back on."

Sheppard considered this. "Okay...I'll look at what I can without removing the shoe." He carefully lifted the scientist's pants leg and opened the shoe as far as he could. The swelling was much worse and extended up a little to his lower leg. It looked for all the world like the foot was about to explode out of the boot. "Ouch. That hurts just looking at it, Dr. Z. You better stay off this thing as much as possible." Sheppard took his vest off and rolled it up, gently placing it under Zelenka's lower foot and ankle. "Maybe that will keep it elevated a little. Don't you move from this spot until I get that doorway cleared out." Zelenka nodded, grateful the Colonel had not taken him up on his offer. Even though he had just rested, his foot was throbbing with a life of its own and he knew he would not have been able to stand for long.

Sheppard propped the light so that it faced the tangled mess of metal garbage wedged into the doorway and overflowing into the room. He stood looking at it for a moment, trying to determine where to begin. "I need a sign saying 'Start Here'. Have any ideas?"

"No...it looks like total chaos to me." Zelenka wished he could offer up a suggestion, but he didn't see any good starting places either.

"Okay...well, this looks good." Sheppard reached out and grabbed a piece of metal about waist high off the floor and began to pull. After a few seconds, it began to move forward, making a hideous scraping noise as he pulled it free of the rest of the pile. Sheppard drug it about ten feet away and dropped it next to the wall. "Welcome to your new home. Don't worry...I'll be back with the rest of the family in just a few minutes." He hobbled back to the debris pile as Zelenka looked on, wondering just how much the sleep deprivation was affecting Sheppard's mental capacity.

Sheppard worked for the next 2 hours, pulling and dragging the metal scraps over to the new junk heap, occasionally muttering to himself or the metal as he worked. Zelenka watched for a while and then began to doze in boredom. When he woke up, he looked over to see that Sheppard was still at work. He watched for a moment before he noticed that Sheppard was not only limping more heavily, but was soaking wet with sweat. Even his hair was plastered to his head, almost as if he'd just stepped out of the shower. He then noticed that Sheppard was sluggish and seemed to stagger as he moved the metal. He was obviously exhausted, almost to the point of collapse.

"Colonel! You must sit down and rest. Come over here and sit down a minute." Sheppard kept working, his movements almost robotic. He didn't seem to hear Zelenka as he focused on his task. "Colonel Sheppard!' Zelenka called loudly. "Colonel, you must stop." Once again, Sheppard did not seem to hear him.

Zelenka used the wall once again to help him get to his feet. He reached down and grabbed the metal pole he had been using as a walking stick and made his way slowly and painfully over to Sheppard. The Colonel was dragging a long piece of metal across the floor when it caught on something. its forward movement stopping so suddenly that Sheppard lost his grip and was thrown forward on his hands and knees. He yelped as his right leg jammed into the hard floor, jarring his injured thigh. The abrupt, unexpected blast of pain was more than he could take. Still on hands and knees, he emptied his stomach suddenly and completely onto the floor in front of him. He stayed in that position, shaking with weakness until he was afraid he would not be able to stand up.

"Colonel...let me help you." He realized Zelenka was beside him. He almost laughed. So much for not puking in front of Zelenka. Maybe he could at least manage not to pass out...although he wasn't completely sure about that one either. Maybe this was a bad dream and he'd wake up in his bed, wondering what had caused him to dream such a flaky dream. The smell of the vomit began to tickle his nose and he knew it wasn't a dream as his stomach began to lurch once more. He had to get away from here or he'd be doing an encore performance soon. He allowed Zelenka to help him to his feet. He leaned slightly against the scientist as a wave of dizziness passed.

"Colonel...you are going to rest now, no?"

"I am going to rest now, yes." Sheppard disengaged himself from Zelenka. The man could obviously barely stand and Sheppard didn't want to topple him over. He then limped weakly over to the wall and slid down it into a sitting position. He realized he was shaking slightly from the efforts of the past two hours. Now that he was sitting down, the exhaustion washed over him with a sickening wave and he wasn't sure he would be able to get back up. But he would worry about that later. Right now, he just needed to rest a few minutes.

"Colonel, are you all right? You should have taken a break." Zelenka noticed the small cuts and scratches that covered the Colonel's hands and arms, damage inflicted by the sharp edges of the scraps of metal. "You must rest for a while and then we can continue. Why do you do this to yourself?"

"I was just trying to get us out of here. We need to get that ankle of yours some medical attention," Sheppard said defensively.

Zelenka snorted. "I am not the only one in need of medical attention." He had picked up Sheppard's P90 and he now shined the light on the Colonel's leg. The field bandage was soaked in blood, as was most of the front of his pants leg.

Sheppard smiled. "Okay, point taken. WE need to get out of here and to medical attention. Carson's going to have a field day with the two of us."

"Yes...that is what I am afraid of," said Zelenka dejectedly.

"Ahh, don't worry. He'll be so mad at me, he'll probably leave you alone. I'm just going to close my eyes for a minute. Wake me in a few if I fall asleep...and we both know I will."

Zelenka didn't look happy, muttering something in his native tongue as he nodded at Sheppard. The Colonel was pretty sure he was mumbling about him and that it wasn't very nice. He thought he might have heard a 'crazy fool' comment thrown in for good measure. It reminded him of what Beckett did when he was really pissed at him. His brogue would be so thick that Sheppard couldn't understand more than two words of what the physician said. Sheppard smiled as much as his tired body would allow. He guessed he just brought out the best in people.

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Elizabeth walked down the corridor to the flurry of activity at the other end. She looked around a moment until she found Sgt. Bates. He was talking to a group of marines, obviously giving them instructions on where to search. She waited until he was finished before approaching.

"Dr. Weir. I'm surprised to see you down here. It's awfully late."

"Yes it is. I was noticing that Dr. Zelenka has been missing almost eight hours and Colonel Sheppard, almost five. Have you found anything...anything at all?"

Bates looked almost embarrassed. "No...I'm afraid we haven't. I relieved the men who have been here all day and brought in a new batch. I thought a fresh set of eyes might see something we have been missing. I just...I know they have to be here somewhere, but ...I just don't know where else to look."

Elizabeth steeled herself, shoving her emotions deep inside. "I know you've done your best Sgt. You look exhausted. I think you should go get some rest yourself. Surely there is someone else you could leave in charge."

"Major Lorne is on his way. He'll take over the searches as soon as he gets here. He was tied up earlier, but radioed to say he was now free to help."

"Good. I'm just going to take a look around if that's okay. It's so frustrating being so far away from what's going on. I...I thought maybe if I came down here and saw you searching, it would make me feel better." She didn't tell him she was scared to death. She considered both men to be her friends, but Colonel Sheppard...had become a very close friend. They had been through a lot together, to the point that he almost felt like a part of her. If she lost him, it would feel as though she had lost a part of herself...a part she wasn't sure she could live without. She knew without a doubt she was better with him there. She also knew Atlantis was better with him there. She didn't understand how a city that seemed to need him so much could take him. She knew that the longer he was missing, the less the chance that she would get him back unharmed. She needed for them to find him.

"That's fine...but please be careful. This area seems to have been damaged somewhat by the storm and we don't want you to get hurt."

"I'll be fine."

"Sgt. Bates?" Two soldiers approached, obviously with questions for Sgt. Bates. They nodded at one another as he turned to help the men and she walked down the corridor, watching the marines search the rooms for Sheppard and Zelenka. She walked for quite a while before she finally stopped and hugged herself with her arms, willing them to be safe. "Where are you?" she whispered, not realizing they were just beneath the floor she was standing on.

TBC


	6. Chapter 6

Thank you to all of you who took the time to review. The best candy in the world! I just love the way you are spoiling me.

Chapter 6

Dr. Zelenka sat in the darkness, listening to Sheppard's light snoring. Even though the Colonel had insisted that Zelenka wake him if he fell asleep, the scientist couldn't bring himself to do it. Sheppard had been so exhausted that he could barely stand after moving all that metal. The doorway had almost been cleared. Just a few more pieces and they could continue their search for a way out.

Zelenka decided it was his turn to work. After all, he'd had a two hour break while Sheppard moved what looked like a ton of debris. Surely he could move the remainder and then he could wake the Colonel. He cautiously maneuvered to a standing position, careful not to put any weight on his grossly swollen ankle, and hobbled over to the doorway. He was only able to grab the piece of twisted metal with one hand since the other was clinging to the metal pole. He tugged at the debris several times with no result, leaving him panting, sweating, and frustrated. Giving it one last yank, the chunk of metal finally broke free. Smiling in satisfaction, Zelenka slowly made his way to Sheppard's garbage pile, dragging the metal behind him.

Because he was only working with one hand and barely able to drag the material away, it took Zelenka thirty minutes to move three pieces of metal. He wiped the sweat from his brow and realized his shirt was clinging to him. No wonder Sheppard had been drenched after two hours. He worked for several minutes trying to dislodge another piece, but it seemed as if the rest of the metal was so intertwined that it would only move as one piece - one very heavy piece. Zelenka decided to try one more time. He put both hands on the metal, balancing on one foot as he pulled with all his might. The metal shifted loudly, dropping down on one side and throwing Zelenka off balance. He hit the floor hard, his injured foot impacting the floor with a thud.

"Ahhhhhh!" He lay back on the floor, his eyes watering from the sudden burst of pain as he clutched his leg.

"Dr. Z...what happened?" He opened his eyes to see Sheppard's worried face hovering over him. It was a couple of minutes before he was able to speak.

"Fell...and...hit foot."

Sheppard looked around. "What were you doing...Dr. Z...were you moving metal?"

The Colonel looked back down at Zelenka, who only nodded.

Sheppard sighed heavily. "I **told** you to stay put and I also told you to wake me up. Huh! And Dr. Beckett thinks **I'm** a bad patient."

"Just trying...to help." Zelenka tried to smile, but it came out more of a grimace.

"Dr. Z...Dr. Z...what am I going to do with you? Think you can stand on your good leg if I help you?"

Zelenka nodded. He really had no idea if he could stand or not, but he was willing to try. Sheppard helped him up and supported him until he got him next to the wall. He and Zelenka both sat back down. They sat in silence for several minutes, until Sheppard finally spoke.

"Nice job, Dr. Z. Looks like you made some serious progress on the doorway. I think I'll see if I can finish clearing it out so we can get out of here. You stay put...for real this time."

Zelenka merely nodded. Sheppard picked up the P90 to turn on the light. Nothing happened. He smacked the light several times, but still nothing happened. "Guess we go in the dark...must have burned up the batteries." Sheppard once again used the wall to help him stand up, moving somewhat more slowly than he had been earlier. When he got a few feet away, Zelenka couldn't see him very well, but he could hear the scraping and thumping of Sheppard relocating the remains of the metal debris. He reappeared a few minutes later.

"All done. You ready to get out of here?" Sheppard extended his hand to Zelenka to help the scientist up.

Zelenka accepted the outstretched hand as he replied. "Oh yes. I am very ready to get out of here." Once Zelenka was standing, Sheppard handed him his metal walking stick. He then scooped up his vest and put it on, but didn't fasten it since he was still hot and sweaty.

"Okay, hop-a-long, let's go."

Zelenka snorted. "You are one to talk."

An hour later, they had progressed but a short distance down the corridor and had checked out six rooms. The going was painfully slow because both men were tired, hurting, and limping down a debris-littered hallway in the dark. Zelenka could not stand to let his foot touch the floor, so his hobbling had become severe. Sheppard would sit him in the hallway, check out a couple of rooms, and then move him farther down the corridor. Since he couldn't see more than a few feet in front of him, Sheppard actually had to walk the perimeter of each room to be sure he didn't miss any possible exits.

Sheppard came out of the sixth room and held his hand out to Zelenka. "Ready for a move, Dr. Z?"

Zelenka sighed He was so tired that he didn't want to move. He could not even imagine how tired Sheppard must be. "How do you do this?" he asked the Colonel as he got to his feet.

"Do what?"

"This...keep going when you are exhausted and in pain.? How do you keep going?"

Sheppard considered it for a moment. "Training partly...experience partly...you just learn to keep going. Sometimes it's the difference between life and death." Zelenka thought he saw sadness in the Colonel's eyes. Maybe it was just the darkness.

As they made their way to the next doorway, Sheppard noticed the air was getting much cooler. "You feel that, Dr. Z?"

"Yes, Colonel. It seems cooler. Maybe we are near a way out."

"I hope so," said Sheppard as he stepped up the next doorway. "Ohhhhh, just great."

"What?" asked Zelenka, joining Sheppard.

"Water." said Sheppard. There was a step down into the room and about three inches of water covered the low-lying floor. "Guess I'm getting my feet wet." Sheppard headed out across the room. Zelekna didn't know why, but he decided to stand in the entrance and watch Sheppard make his way across the room.

Sheppard was about halfway across the room and almost out of sight when the floor gave way. He felt the floor shift just before he plummeted down into the icy water, stoppping suddenly when the bottom of his ribcage rammed into the broken edge of the floor. At about the same time, his forearms smacked solid ground, sending a spray of water into his face. Dazed and the breath knocked out of him, Sheppard fought to remain conscious. He struggled to suck in enough air, feeling as though someone had punched him in the chest and then proceeded to sit on him.

As soon as Zelenka saw Sheppard go through the floor, he tried to hurry across the wet floor to the Colonel's aid. He was still several feet from Sheppard when he slipped. The next thing he knew, he was flat on his back in the water with the wind knocked out of him and sharp pains shooting up into his leg from his ankle.

While Zelenka was trying to catch his breath, Sheppard was finally coming out of his daze and beginning to assess his situation. He was still hurting, but he found he could breathe again. The hole that had opened up was barely wide enough to fit through, so unless more flooring gave way, he was in little danger of going down further. The problem seemed to be that the jagged opening was so narrow that the sharp edges were poking and scraping his midsection, catching and tearing his shirt while scraping the flesh underneath.

When Sheppard tried to hoist himself up and out of the water, the mangled flooring would catch on his belt, clothing, or holster, pulling him back down. He struggled for several minutes, but only got more frustrated and exhausted. He realized his lower body was going numb from the icy water and he was beginning to shiver. He started looking around for Zelenka, knowing he was going to have to have help to get out of this.

"Doc...tor...Z?" he called through chattering teeth.

He worked for several minutes to get turned around enough that he could look back. He saw Zelenka lying on his back several feet away. "Dr. Z?" He yelled frantically. "Dr. Z...you've...gotta...get up."

As Zelenka finally began to stir and struggle to a sitting position, Sheppard continued to encourage him. "Come on Dr. Zelenka. You can... do it. You've gotta... get up and ...out of the water."

Zelenka stared at Sheppard a moment before the Colonel's predicament settled in his mind. "Colonel Sheppard...are you all right?"

Sheppard looked relieved. "Yes...I just...need...help getting out. I keep...getting hung up." His teeth were really starting to chatter now and he was going numb from the waist down. He thought he felt something brush against his leg.

"Dr. Z...I don't mean to...rush you...but I think...there's something in the water."

Zelenka's eyes widened. "Something in the water?"

"Yeah...I can barely feel my legs...so I could be wrong...but...I think it's something...big."

Zelenka quickly pulled himself over to Sheppard. "What can I do?"

"I keep getting hung up on the edge somehow. When I try to get out, just see where I'm hung up and...unhang me."

Zelenka nodded. Sheppard tried to pull himself forward and out of the water again. When his waist tried to clear the hole, he felt the familiar tug of being stuck. "Dr. Z...I'm hung up again."

"I see it," said Zelenka. A narrow shard of flooring had slid under Sheppard's belt, effectively stopping his progress. Zelenka tried in vain to work it loose. "I can't get it."

Sheppard, his energy failing, let himself slide back into the water. They tried twice more with the same results. Zelenka noticed that each effort to leave the water seemed to be harder and harder for Sheppard. He was shivering violently and could barely speak through his chattering teeth.

Zelenka, sitting in the water, was also getting cold. His hands were getting numb, making him fumble more each time he tried to free Sheppard from the jagged flooring.

"Wait," Sheppard said. He started trying to fold the sharp edges of the flooring down and under, making a smoother surface on which to slide past. Seeing what he was doing, Zelenka began the same process on the other side of the hole. It took several minutes since both men were shaking and their fingers were numb from the cold water.

"Okay...Dr...Z...pull...me...out."

Dr. Zelenka sat facing Sheppard and they grabbed each other's forearms. Zelenka pulled on Sheppard as the Colonel tried to haul himself out of the water. About the time Sheppard's waist cleared the edge of the hole and both men thought they were home free, Sheppard was yanked violently back down into the water.

Zelenka looked at Sheppard in surprise and confusion to see fear in the pilot's eyes for the first time. "Oh...crap! Something...has my leg. PULL...Dr. Z...Get me out of here!"

TBC


	7. Chapter 7

I know, I know. I couldn't resist having a little cliffie. It just presented itself and I had to do it. You understand, right? Anyway, thanks for all the wonderful feedback. You guys put a spring in my step! And yes, as we continue, you should probably be playing the music from "Jaws" in your head.

Chapter 7

Zelenka grabbed Sheppard again and leaned back, putting all his weight into pulling the Colonel to safety.

Sheppard was terrified. He could feel the pressure tugging on his lower leg, but due to the numbness, there was no pain. At least if he'd had the pain, he could guess at how badly the creature was mangling his lower appendage. He wondered if he would even know if the thing did bite his leg off. All the shark movies he'd seen over the years played back in his head and only served to feed the suffocating sense of panic.

"Shoot...shoot...shoot!" Sheppard muttered as he strained to move forward and up. Little by little, Sheppard would come up out of the water, only to be yanked back in. He wasn't sure how much longer he and Zelenka could hold out...not to mention his leg. Suddenly he had a thought. He mustered every bit of energy he had left and kicked at whatever had his leg. He thought he felt his foot connect with something solid. He knew that between the exhaustion and the numbness, he didn't get much force behind the blow. A split second later, however, the pressure eased as he and Zelenka flew forward. They struggled and crawled until they had Sheppard completely out of the hole.

"Thanks..." Sheppard managed after a few minutes.

Zelenka lay on his back in the water while Sheppard lay on his stomach, his head on his arm to keep his face out of the water.

"No...problem...Colonel. We...should probably...get out of ...here." They lay there a few more minutes until Zelenka finally decided to sit up. "Colonel?"

"Hmmmmm?" Zelenka glanced at Sheppard, who seemed to be either dozing or losing consciousness.

"We must get out of here," Zelenka said matter-of-factly.

"Out...of...here..." repeated Sheppard weakly.

Zelenka reached over and shook Sheppard, glancing down at his legs. He was almost afraid to look, half expecting Sheppard to be sporting a bloody nub. But both legs were there. The right leg was missing a shoe and the pant leg below the knee. His sock was pulled down around his heel and looked as though it might be bloody. It was hard to tell in the dark.

"Is...it there?" asked Sheppard faintly.

"Is what there?"

"Leg...is it still there?" It sounded like he might be holding his breath.

"Yes, Colonel...Your leg is still there."

Sheppard breathed out heavily. "Couldn't tell."

"Colonel...you have to get up. We have to get out of the water. It is...too cold...and not safe."

"Can't...legs are...numb."

Zelenka moved over closer to Sheppard and began rolling him over on his back. Sheppard pulled away from him, finally becoming aware of their situation. "Zelenka?"

"Colonel...We must get out of here."

Sheppard looked around. "Can you walk?"

Zelenka shook his head. "I have lost my walking stick."

"Oh." Sheppard looked thoughtful. "Guess we're crawling then, I can't feel my legs yet."

And that's what they did. As they crawled, Sheppard's hand landed on Zelenka's metal pole and he snagged it, dragging it back with him. The two men slowly and painfully crawled back across the watery floor and into the hall, where they lay panting and shivering.

Zelenka realized he had been drifting in and out, but had no idea for how long. He finally convinced himself that they had to get moving while they still could...if they still could. He looked at Sheppard, who was, as he expected, asleep.

"Colonel...wake up. We have to get moving." He leaned over and shook Sheppard.

"Noooooo...sleep...ing," Sheppard slurred. He just wanted to sleep. He was so tired and every inch of him hurt. He honestly didn't think he could get up again. He just wanted to be left alone.

"Colonel, PLEASE wake up!" Zelenka pleaded as he shook Sheppard more violently.

Sheppard realized he couldn't quit with Zelenka depending on him. He finally began to get his eyes open as he batted at Zelenka's hand. "Okay...I'm awake...stop..that..."he said, annoyed. His speech still sounded slurred to Zelenka, but at least he was responding.

"Thank goodness, Colonel. I was afraid you would not wake up."

"I'm awake, Dr. Z. It's...okay." He sat up slowly and carefully, nursing his bruised ribs. He struggled for a minute to even out his breathing where it didn't pull too badly on his battered body. He then began to rub his uninjured leg. "Just got to get the blood flowing again so I can...Oh, crap! Where's my shoe...that stupid thing...ate my shoe."

Sheppard pulled at the remainder of his pant leg and Zelenka looked over to see the damage.

"Did the sea monster...hurt you?"

Sheppard's leg had long, deep scratches extending from just below his knee down to his ankle. The lacerations were about one inch apart and completely encircled his leg. Just below the knee, where the scratches began, was a series of much deeper cuts. This was obviously where the creature had initially grabbed Sheppard's leg.

As the realization of how close he had come to losing his leg sank in, Sheppard shuddered. He was also wondering how big something would have to be to have that much of his leg in its mouth. "Must...have...been playing with me...Lucky me...got to...keep my leg."

That caused Zelenka to shudder as he considered what would have happened if the creature had indeed taken Sheppard's leg. He felt relatively sure he knew what would have happened. The Colonel would have bled to death in a matter of minutes while he died a slow death waiting to be rescued. Not a pleasant thought for either of them.

"Does...it hurt?" asked Zelenka. He thought surely the Colonel would be in too much pain to continue.

"Not yet," said Sheppard. "Legs are...still...kind of numb." Sheppard couldn't stop shivering and he was getting aggravated. He began to vigorously rub his leg, trying to restore enough feeling in them to walk.

"Can you get up, Colonel?"asked Zelenka.

"Maybe...one way to find out." Sheppard pressed his hand to the wall, struggling to get to his feet. Once there, he leaned heavily against the wall, locking his knees so he wouldn't topple over. "See...no problem."

"Yes...but can you walk now?" Zelenka sounded uncertain.

"Let's get...you up...and then we'll...work on complex...skills like walking." He kept one hand on the wall and extended the other. Zelenka used Sheppard and his pole to get to his feet.

"Okay...I am now standing as well." Zelenka said proudly.

Sheppard nodded. "Good...okay...on to walking." The two men began their quest for freedom by once again trudging painfully down the darkened hallway.

As Sheppard began to regain the feeling in his legs, he slowly gained more control over their movement. Unfortunately, he paid for it with the pain from the injuries in his right leg. From the deep gash in his thigh to the scratches streaking down to his ankle, his whole leg simultaneously throbbed and burned. He had no field bandages left and he could feel the tickle of blood oozing slowly from the deeper bite marks around his knee. If he thought he had trouble walking before, it was nothing compared to the nightmare he was experiencing now. It didn't help that he only had on one shoe. His other problem was that every breath sent stabbing pains through his battered and bruised ribcage. He had lost count of how many times he had been rammed against the edge of the hole. Every time he took a limping step, it jarred his tired and sore body. And sleep. If he didn't get sleep soon, he was going to lose it for real. His head felt like molten lead and his eyes like someone had set them on fire. If Zelenka hadn't been here, he would just stayed down that last time. He knew he wasn't going to last much longer.

Zelenka was fighting his own battles. His ankle throbbed like it would sure explode any minute. Every move he made seemed to send waves of pain radiating from his ankle all the way to his thigh. He had begun to notice an uncomfortable tightness in his lower back as he tried to hobble with the pole. He was pretty sure he had pulled a muscle while trying to help Colonel Sheppard from the hole. He was afraid to tell the Colonel, though. He didn't want him to feel guilty or think he had caused the injury. Both men were covered in cuts, scratches, and bruises from their encounters with the metal debris.

They were both so focused on putting one foot in front of the other, that they almost missed it when the floor began to slant upward slightly. Sensing it at about the same time, both men stopped moving.

"Dr..Z...is it...?"

"Yes, Colonel...I think it is...You do not think..."

"Oh, I think...I think...Let's check it out." The two men moved forward a little faster, hope alive in them for the first time in quite a while. They went upward for several yards before coming to a door. They looked at each other briefly before Sheppard began prying the door open. Since there was no power, it took him a couple of minutes to get the doors apart. He held them for Zelenka while he slid through and then managed to slip through himself before they closed back again.

They found themselves blinking heavily in the muted early morning sunlight. They were on one of the many outdoor walkways that seemed to encircle a good part of the city. Once their eyes had adjusted to the light, they looked at one another and grinned.

"We made it Dr. Z," said Sheppard softly. He was almost afraid it was a dream and he would awaken back in the dark, damp hole they had just escaped from. He looked at Zelenka, seeing him for the first time in several hours. His clothes were wrinkled and torn, his hair messed up, his body covered with scratches and bruises, and he was still half wet. "Gee, Dr. Z...you look like death warmed over. I don't even think the cat would drag you in."

Zelenka snorted. "Have you looked in a mirror lately, Colonel? The cat would bury you." The two men laughed out loud, hours and hours of pent up frustration being released as they basked in the sunlight.

"Let's see if we can find a ride. I have no idea where we are...but I don't think I can walk to the infirmary."

Zelenka nodded. "I am with you, Colonel."

The two men began limping along again, a little more energy in their step now.

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Major Lorne walked down the hall with a young soldier who had only recently come to Atlantis. They had been up all night looking for Colonel Sheppard and Dr. Zelenka with no luck. They were on their way back to the inhabited part of the city, but were taking a round about path to get there. They had to check with a couple of scientists in one of the labs about an object they had obtained off world in their last mission. Lorne had come up with this route as a shortcut.

"No offense, sir, but are you sure this will get us there?"

Lorne nodded, somewhat offended that the man did not trust his ability to read a map. "Yes, I'm sure. If this doesn't get us to the wing with the science labs, I'll buy you breakfast."

"Gee, thanks. Mighty generous of you, sir," the soldier said sarcastically.

"No problem, Roberts."

They reached the end of the hall and turned left to head into the city. As they did so, Lorne saw movement down the corridor to the right. He quickly turned and pointed his P90, knowing that no one should be in that area. The younger man mimicked his actions. Two figures hobbled down the hall slowly in their direction. The tall one seemed to have half a pant leg and no shoe on his right foot. The shorter one was using a metal pole as a sort of make-shift crutch. They slowly lowered their weapons and began to walk toward the two struggling figures.

"Sir...is that...Dr. Zelenka and Colonel Sheppard?"

Lorne could hardly believe his eyes. It was, in fact, the two missing men. Both looked filthy, battered, and bloody and barely able to stand. Where in the world had they been and what had happened to them? "Yes...I believe it's them."

The four men met face to face in the corridor. Sheppard gave a faint smile. "Hey, Major...I found Dr. Zelenaka."

"I see that sir. No offense, sir...but you look pretty bad."

"Yeah? Well,...I can almost guarantee I feel worse. If you ...wouldn't mind...I really don't think we can walk...so much as another foot...could you call us a medical team...or at least something with wheels."

"No problem, sir. Where have you been all this time? We've been searching for you and Dr. Zelenka all night."

Sheppard shook his head. "Long story...Been in the basement...with submarines...and sea monsters..." Sheppard looked down at his bare foot. "Got my shoe...hey., that was a new pair...hate sea monsters..."

Lorne and the young soldier just looked at one another in confusion. "Sir..." he stopped, noticing Sheppard beginning to sway slightly. The two soldiers moved forward, Lorne taking Sheppard's arm and Roberts taking Zelenka's arm. "Why don't you guys sit over here and I'll call you a cab." They helped them over to the wall and eased them into a sitting position. Relief at being off their feet flooded the faces of the exhausted men.

"Thanks, Major...needed that," said Sheppard weakly, leaning his head back against the wall and closing his eyes.

Lorne went straight for his radio. He had several calls to make. "Dr. Beckett, this is Major Lorne. We have located Colonel Sheppard and Dr. Zelenka and we're going to need a medical team and a couple of gurneys."

Dr. Beckett replied almost instantly. "Major...could you briefly describe their injuries."

Lorne looked down to where Roberts had removed Zelenka's shoe. "Dr. Zelenka seems to have broken either his foot or his ankle. It's pretty swollen. He's also got lots of cuts, scratches, and bruises. Looks pretty exhausted and beat up."

"And Colonel Sheppard?" inquired Beckett. Lorne thought he heard Beckett sigh loudly and he smiled to himself. Sheppard was in so much trouble.

"Colonel Sheppard has quite a few lacerations to his leg. Some look pretty deep." Lorne noticed that Sheppard was watching him, so he pointed to the field bandage on his leg.

"Deep cut," said Sheppard simply.

Lorne continued. "He has one rather large, deep laceration. Like Zelenka, he's covered with scratches and bruises. Their clothes seem to be wet and they're both shivering a little. Unfortunately, we don't have any blankets."

"Okay, we're on our way. Stay with them until we get there. Where are ya, lad?"

Lorne gave Beckett directions to their location.

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Rodney stormed into Elizabeth's office. "Why didn't you call me?" he demanded.

Elizabeth looked up from her coffee. "Rodney...what are you talking about?"

"You know very well what I'm talking about. I went to the lab a few minutes ago and someone came by to ask me if they had found Radek and Sheppard yet. Imagine my confusion, since I didn't even know they were missing. You should have called me."

"You were sleeping. Your team was exhausted and needed the rest."

"Sheppard was more exhausted than any of us. What was he even doing out there? Shouldn't he have been sleeping?" McKay's face was beginning to turn red. She tried to remind herself that he was just worried about his two friends.

"Yes...he should have. But he heard the radio chatter about Dr. Zelenka and you know how he is. I would have had to have Carson restrain him and sedate him to keep him from..."

"Dr. Weir, this is Major Lorne."

Elizabeth turned her attention to the radio. "This is Dr. Weir." She didn't even ask the question, not daring to hope that the report would be anything more than the ones she had been receiving all night.

"Dr. Weir, we found Colonel Sheppard and Dr. Zelenka and a medical team is on the way. They're pretty beat up, but it doesn't look like anything too serious."

Elizabeth sighed heavily with relief. She smiled and nodded to Rodney. "They found them," she whispered. To Major Lorne she said, "Can I speak to Colonel Sheppard?" There was a brief pause.

"Hey...liz..buth." Elizabeth was startled at how slurred Sheppard's speech was.

"Hey yourself. You've got a lot of explaining to do...where have you been?"

Sheppard was struggling to keep his eyes open and his thoughts progressing. "Base...ment...with the...sea monsters...cousin of jaws...I think..." Sheppard drifted off, mumbling incoherently.

Lorne took the radio back. "Ma'am...he seems to be a little disoriented...I think he's drifted off to sleep."

"Did he just say sea monsters?" Elizabeth asked.

"Yes ma'am...that makes twice he's referred to sea monsters. And it looks like something's had a hold of his leg. He's missing part of his pant leg and a shoe and what may be bite marks are on his leg." He looked toward Dr. Zelenka for a possible explanation, only to find the scientist's eyes closed as well. "I think they're both down for the count at this time. We'll have to get the story later."

Elizabeth sighed reluctantly. "Understood. How long before they get back to the infirmary?"

"Probably about twenty minutes for the medical team to get here, a few minutes to check them over and load them up, and another twently minutes to get them back. All in all, about fifty minutes."

"Where are they?" asked Rodney. "I'm not waiting an hour."

Elizabeth nodded in agreement. "What is your location, Major?"

Lorne once again gave directions to their location. Next he called Sgt. Stackhouse, who had taken over command of the search teams when Lorne left, and informed him of the good news. He smiled as he heard cheers in the background when the Sgt. informed the searchers that their missing people had been found. Then he turned his attention back to the injured men before him. He kneeled down beside Sheppard, deciding to put a field dressing on the deep bite marks around the Colonel's lower knee. They were still oozing blood and it would be a while before the medical team arrived. He quickly completed the task and then checked the bandage on Sheppard's thigh. It was wet and looked as though blood had soaked through hours ago. He removed it and replaced it with a dry dressing, noticing how deep the gash was. Sheppard never stirred. He figured the man must be exhausted.

"I wish we had a blanket. They seem cold," commented Roberts. Lorne nodded. Sheppard's skin had been cold to the touch and he was shivering. The Major removed his jacket and draped it over Sheppard's chest and arms. Roberts followed his example, covering Dr. Zelenka with his jacket. "What do you think happened to them?" asked Roberts.

"I have no idea, but I'll bet it's going to make a good story. Sea monsters and submarines. Huh! I'm not sure if something really weird happened to them or if the Colonel is maybe..."

"Crazy?" offered Roberts.

Lorne shook his head. "No...just...not himself...you know, because of the injuries and the lack of sleep. Crazy doesn't sound very respectful of your CO."

"Sorry, sir," said Roberts. "Guess we just wait for the medical team."

"Yeah...but I can't wait to hear the story behind this. This is one mission report that should make for some interesting reading." They settled in to watch over the two sleeping forms before them.

TBC


	8. Chapter 8

Thanks again for the totally nice reviews. Also, another word of thanks to rogue for being beta and doing such a fine job. We really must do a joint project one of these days.

Chapter 8

Sheppard became vaguely aware of distant sounds. The sounds seemed to get closer and he gradually began to hear voices and feel hands touching him. Pulse, blood pressure, temperature...and then he was moving. The jolt as he landed on the gurney sent pain spiking through his bruised ribs, causing him to moan. He instinctively tried to gulp in a breath, only to find he couldn't seem to bring any oxygen in. He squirmed and struggled, trying in vain to fill his aching lungs with air. He felt something on his face and swatted at it, convinced that was what was blocking his air supply. Suddenly, his wrists were held firm and he pulled harder, trying to free himself as he struggled to get his eyes open. As he finally managed to crack his eyelids a slit, he heard a familiar voice.

"Colonel, you need to stop fighting. I'm trying to help ya breathe." He stopped struggling as he saw the face of Carson Beckett over him and almost immediately, he could breathe easier. He felt the sweet flow of oxygen through the mask on his face. As he relaxed, Beckett tucked his arms under the covers and he realized he was covered by blankets. He welcomed the warmth that they provided. He also felt the familiar tug of an IV in his left hand. Yeah, Beckett was here.

Beckett smiled at him. "We're just gettin' you settled for the ride back to the infirmary. Looks like you two have been very busy the past few hours."

Sheppard's eyes kept trying to close as he focused on Beckett. Under the mask, he asked, "How much trouble...am I in?"

"We can talk about that later, son. First let's get your injuries evaluated so I can start treatment. I know you're hurtin', but I cannot give you any pain medication until you have been properly examined, especially since it looks like you may have hit your head."

Sheppard was too busy breathing and maintaining eye contact to try to answer. He just blinked at Beckett and hoped he understood. Beckett seemed to get bumped out of the way and McKay's face took his place.

"Okay Colonel, what's this I hear about sea monsters and submarines? Sounds like you and Radek had your own little party...where ever it is you two have been hiding. I'm highly insulted that I wasn't invited. The least you could have done was sent me a sample of the stuff you've been drinking, because it must be some pretty powerful hooch."

McKay was rambling so fast that it made Sheppard's head hurt worse to try to keep up, so he stopped listening about halfway through the rambling tirade. McKay looked like he expected a comment or answer of some kind when he finally quit talking, but Sheppard had no idea what to say. He was too tired to care, so he just looked blankly at McKay and slowly allowed his eyes to close.

"John?" He looked up at Elizabeth, noting that the gurney was now in motion. He didn't have the energy to respond, so he just looked at her as she walked along beside him. That seemed to be enough. She patted him on the arm. "I'm glad we finally found you. I was beginning to get worried. I expect a full report on your adventure when you're up to it. It sounds...exciting." She was smiling at him as his eyes slowly closed and he drifted off.

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"Colonel?" He thought the voice had been calling him for a while, but it had seemed distant and foreign until now. It was loud and clear and getting more urgent and he began to realize he would soon have to wake up and respond.

"Colonel...you have to wake up for a few minutes."

He didn't open his eyes...he wasn't sure he could. They felt like they had been glued shut. "Nooooo...sleep...ing."

"I know you're tired, Colonel, but you are going to have to wake up for just a few minutes. Then I'll let you go back to sleep."

"Ohhhhhhh. Just...wanna ...sleep...Why can't...anyone...leave me alone?" Every muscle in his body ached and his injuries were beginning to scream at him to take notice. He really didn't want to deal with any of it right now.

"Colonel?" Okay, now he was shaking his shoulder. Sheppard finally peeled his eyes open and blinked several times. As expected, Beckett was standing beside him.

"Wwwwwhat?" Sheppard was obviously annoyed and didn't care who knew it.

"I need you stay awake for a few minutes while I do a proper exam, Colonel. I need to ask you some questions."

Sheppard suddenly started trying to look around. "What about Dr.Z?"

"He's fine. He's in X-ray right now. I know he's broken his ankle, I just need to know where and how bad it is. We'll get his foot fixed up after I tend to you. Dr. Zelenka mentioned you hit your head in the fall and lost consciousness for a few minutes. Have ya been experiencin' any dizziness or nausea?"

"A little," replied Sheppard, his voice muffled by the oxygen mask.

Beckett nodded as if he expected that. "Aye, I think you have a mild concussion. You've got quite a bit of bruising around your ribs. I'll need to check for possible internal injuries." Beckett pulled the blanket back and Sheppard shivered. He realized for the first time that someone had removed his shirt. He had no idea how or when that had happened. Trying to take note of the rest of his body, he noticed his pants were also gone and was glad for the blanket covering him. Felt like they had at least left him his boxers. His right leg seemed to be wrapped up from thigh to ankle.

Beckett began gently probing the area around the Colonel's ribs. Sheppard tried to even out his breathing and stifle the groans of pain, but that only lasted a few minutes. Finally, his face contorted in pain, he moaned loudly. "Oh, stop," he panted, struggling to bring in a breath that didn't send stabbing pains through his sides and chest. "They're bruised already. You don't have to poke them to figure it out. I can tell you that."

"Well, **Doctor** Sheppard, I'd like a second opinion, if you don't mind - mainly mine. And I **know** your ribs are bruised, I can see that..."

"Then why are you poking them?" whined Sheppard. "When you poke a bruise, it hurts."

Beckett sighed heavily, trying to remind himself that the man was exhausted and in pain. "I **told** you, Colonel, I'm checking for internal injuries. Oh, but that's right, you don't listen when I talk so you probably didn't hear me."

Sheppard winced. "Sorry...doc..." he offered, the fight going out of him as he realized he'd been had.

Beckett immediately felt guilty for losing his temper. "It's all right lad. Sorry I snapped at you."

Sheppard looked up at him, his eyes half closed and looking for all the world like those of a tired, scolded child. "Sorry, doc. Don't mean...to be such a...pain."

"How's he doing?" McKay's voice was loud in the relatively quiet confines of the infirmary and both Beckett and Sheppard jumped. "Mmmmmm," Sheppard moaned as he pulled his ribs again.

"Rodney...what are ya doin' over here? I told ya to stay in the waitin' area out of the way."

McKay peered at Sheppard over Beckett's shoulder. "He's been in here forever. I figured you must know something by now. Hey, you're awake. How are you feeling? Carson getting you fixed up?"

"Fine." said Sheppard from under the mask.

"Yeah, like I'm going to believe that. You forget, I have eyes and can actually see out of them. So, Carson, what's the real story?"

Beckett rolled his eyes. "I don't know yet because I haven't finished my exam. I examined Zelenka first so I could get him off to get his foot X-rayed. Now, if you'll let me continue."

McKay stepped back a step. "Please...continue."

Beckett sighed again. "Rodney..."

"I'll stay out of the way, I promise. Come on, Carson...let me stay. Sheppard doesn't care."

Beckett looked down at the Colonel. Sheppard managed to say, "Okay."

"All right, you can stay. But keep quiet and out of my way." Beckett continued to gently, but firmly probe Sheppard's abdomen, occasionally asking him if it hurt. He slowly worked his way down to Sheppard's lower abdomen, noticing the small cuts and bruises that seemed to encircle him close to his waist. There was probably a story about that, but he could ask Sheppard later. Sheppard cringed and jerked slightly at one place on his lower right side, but Beckett decided it was just heavy bruising. He noticed a bruise on Sheppard's right hip and slid the Colonel's boxers down over his hip a couple of inches to get a closer look. The bruise seemed particularly deep and severe. He probed with his fingertips for a few seconds until Sheppard twisted and batted at his hands.

"Bruise...hurts when...you push on it...We had...this discussion...remember?" Beckett could barely understand his slurred speech under the oxygen mask.

"Okay, Colonel, I'm sorry. We'll just add your hip to the list of things to be X-rayed when it's your turn." He replaced Sheppard's boxers and pulled the blankets up over him. He checked to see if Sheppard was still conscious. His eyes were barely slits.

"Verdict?" Sheppard asked.

"You're very definitely dehydrated. I'll have to get X-rays to be sure, but it looks like you might have some cracked ribs. The good news is that you don't seem to have any internal bleedin'. We'll get you X-rayed as soon as Zelenka is back and then we'll take you to surgery."

Sheppard's eyes popped open. "What? You said no bleeding."

"I took a look at that leg earlier, Colonel. That gash on your thigh goes almost to the bone. I'll have to do a little muscle repair before we can stitch you up. Don't worry, it won't take long. We'll have you fixed up before you know it." Beckett turned to check with a nurse.

Sheppard relaxed a little. At least he would be asleep for it. He looked over at McKay. "Where's...Eliz..abeth?"

"Oh...She went to get Teyla and Ronon. They should be back in a few minutes." McKay kept staring at Sheppard, who noticed even in his somewhat disoriented state.

"Wwwhat?"

McKay looked thoughtful. "You do plan on shaving at some point, don't you?"

Sheppard had forgotten about his growing beard. He was now five days into it. He looked at McKay's dismayed expression. "Don't know...never had...a beard."

"Not flattering. You should really shave it off.. Just ask Elizabeth when she gets here."

Sheppard smiled under the mask. This might be fun. He was starting to get used to the extra facial hair. He had some time to think about it because he certainly wasn't going to pop up and shave it off right now. Sleep was the first thing on his agenda and he planned on participating in that activity very soon. McKay turned and, waving at someone, walked across the room. With no one there to keep him awake, Sheppard's eyes closed and he slipped back into the soft darkness, hoping this time he would be allowed to sleep.

McKay filled Elizabeth, Teyla, and Ronon in on Sheppard and Zelenka's condition. He didn't see Beckett around, so he led them over to Sheppard's bed to find the Colonel sleeping soundly.

"Don't wake him," Elizabeth said. "We'll see him after he wakes up. I think he's earned a little sleep." Teyla nodded in agreement.

About that time, they wheeled Zelenka in on a gurney. He was dressed in scrubs with the left pant leg pushed up to the knee. His left foot was propped on a pillow with a cold pack on top. As they locked the wheels, the nurse picked up his IV bag and hung it on the pole next to the bed. Zelenka was singing something in his native language. The trio moved over to his bed, smiling at the Czech's singing.

The nurse smiled at them. "I guess you can tell, Dr. Beckett gave him some pain medication. His ankle was really hurting him."

McKay smirked. "It doesn't sound like anything's bothering him now."

The nurse laughed. "No, and it probably won't for a while. Hope he enjoys it while it lasts." She and the other nurse walked over to Sheppard's bed, unlocked the wheels, and moved the gurney toward X-ray.

"Dr. Zelenka, are you all right? You were lost for some time." Teyla wasn't sure Zelenka was even listening to her, but at least he had stopped singing. He finally bobbled his head over in her direction.

"I am good! Colonel Sheppard...he got us out. Where is the Colonel?" he asked, looking around the infirmary. "The sea monster...it had his leg." He smiled and pointed to himself. "I pulled him out of water. Couldn't let sea monster eat him...that would be bad...leave me alone. We saved each other."

Ronon and Teyla exchanged glances, smiles spreading across their faces. McKay just rolled his eyes.

"Radek, you're higher than a kite."

"No kites...just submarines and sea monsters," he said matter-of-factly. Zelenka lay back against the pillows and yawned. "I am tired. I will take a nap, yes? Where is Colonel Sheppard?" He began looking around again. McKay pushed him back down against the pillows.

"He's okay, Radek. Carson sent him to get some X-rays. He'll be back in a while."

Zelenka seemed happy with that. He lay his head back against the pillow and was snoring within a few minutes. They stood there watching, somewhat surprised at how quickly he had gone from singing to snoring.

"So...how about breakfast?" asked McKay. Teyla and Ronon nodded and the three of them headed for the mess hall. It seemed everyone they wanted to visit was asleep.

TBC

Yes, we're almost done. Just have to finish fixing them.

Sorry about any medical mistakes - going on stuff I've seen on TV, which is not always a good idea.


	9. Chapter 9

Last chapter. It's been another nice ride - at least for me. Thanks for all the warm fuzzies and entertaining and encouraging reviews. You guys absolutely make my day! Once again, special thanks to my beta, rogue1503. And yes, I do have another idea stirring (as always), but the problem may be getting time to type it up. I see a busy time ahead - but I shall return (famous last words).

Chapter 9

Elizabeth Weir walked into the infirmary, her eyes searching for Carson Beckett. She didn't see Carson, but she did notice both Sheppard and Zelenka sleeping in beds, side by side. She smiled, glad to have them safe, properly tended, and resting safely in the main part of the city. She looked into Beckett's office to find him at his desk, updating charts.

"Elizabeth, come in." He stood and waved his hand to the chair on the opposite side of his desk. "Have a seat." They sat down and Beckett moved his folders to the side of his desk. "I guess you're here to check on our adventurers."

She smiled and nodded. "Yes, as a matter of fact, I am. How are they doing."

"They'll both be fine. Dr. Zelenka has a touch of dehydration, lots of superficial abrasions and contusions, and he broke his foot in three places. We set it surgically earlier today. I'll want him off his leg for a few days. He exacerbated the injury by spending so much time hobbling around on it, so it may take a little longer to heal."

"Okay. What about the Colonel?"

"He's a little more complicated." Beckett said, sighing.

Elizabeth grinned. "Isn't he always?"

"Unfortunately. The Colonel had a more advanced case of dehydration, exhaustion, a mild concussion, and a lot of abrasions and contusions, similar to what Zelenka has. Apparently, they had to move large pieces of metal debris with lots of sharp edges. He also has a rather deep gash in his right thigh, which we have repaired and stitched. There are a series of bites around his knee where their...sea monster...grabbed him. They were small, but deep, so we stitched them up as well. He also has what appears to be tooth drag marks down his right lower leg, but they aren't deep enough to require stitching."

"Ouch. Sounds like he messed himself up pretty good."

"Let's not forget the two cracked ribs. I was rather surprised it was only two ribs with the degree of bruising around the base of his ribcage. I haven't had a chance to hear the story behind that one, but I'm sure it's good. He was having some muscle spasms earlier, making it hard to breathe, but that seems to have resolved itself." Beckett rubbed his eyes. "Just catching up his chart is giving me a headache."

Elizabeth fought back a chuckle. A nurse stuck her head in the door. "Doctor, do you have the Colonel's chart?"

Beckett nodded. "Aye, I was catching up. I guess you need it to update his vitals." He handed her the chart as she stepped in the room and reached across his desk. She took her pen, jotted some notes down, and handed it back to him.

"You better take a look. He's up to 103."

Beckett nodded. "I figured as much. Keep an eye on him and let me know if it gets any higher."

"Will do. Good thing you already started him on antibiotics." She turned and left, leaving Elizabeth with all sorts of questions.

"Sheppard?" she asked.

"Who else. I was expecting it though. He cut himself on 10,000 year old scrap metal, wrapped it while sitting in a damp, dark...basement, and then took a dump in the ocean. It would be a miracle if he didn't get an infection. He'll probably run a fever for a while, but I think he'll be okay."

Elizabeth seemed to relax back in her seat. "Good. I'd better get back before they come after me. I'll check back with you later."

Beckett just nodded. "I'll be here."

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Sheppard woke to something pullling on his arm. He blinked several times to clear the haze and saw Beckett taking his pulse in the muted night lighting of the infirmary. It took him a minute to remember why he was here. Beckett went to tuck his arm back under the covers and noticed the Colonel watching him.

"Well...good to have you back, Colonel. How do ya feel?"

Sheppard knew there was no way to describe how he felt, but he came as close as he could. "Like a train ran over me...followed by a really big truck." He would swear that every muscle ached and weighed a ton. He wasn't sure he could do much more than blink. His leg hurt...but not the extreme pain he expected. Everything seemed dull and muted. "Got me on the good stuff?" he asked.

"Yes, Colonel. I thought you might need it."

Sheppard utilized every ounce of strength he had to pull his arms out from under the blanket. "Hot in here," he said, realizing that his face felt slicked with sweat.

"You're sporting a bit of a fever. Got some infection in your leg." He patted Sheppard's arm. "Not to worry. We have you on antibiotics and your temperature seems to have stabilized. May be a bit uncomfortable for a while, though."

" Kay. Still sleepy...how long?" Sheppard's eyelids were beginning to drift closed.

Beckett looked at his watch. "You were found about 18 hours ago, Colonel. But you still have a lot of catching up to do. Get some sleep." He didn't have to tell Sheppard twice. His eyes were already closed.

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When Sheppard woke again, he could hear the sounds of the infirmary, the light penetrating his closed lids enough to let him know it was now daylight. He lay there for several minutes with his eyes closed, just listening as he took his time coming to full awareness. Eventually, he opened his eyes and took in his surroundings. He could see a nurse tending to something across the room and Dr. Zelenka in the bed next to his. He quickly turned his attention to the Czech scientist.

"Hey, Dr. Z...how are you feeling?"

Zelenka was propped up in bed with his left foot elevated on some pillows, dressed in the all too familiar scrubs. It was at that moment he realized that he was in a hospital gown. So very unfair.

Dr. Zelenka grinned. "Colonel Sheppard. You are awake. I thought maybe you would sleep all day. I feel good except for foot. They operate to fix it. Dr. Beckett say it will be good as new. How are you?"

"Not sure just yet, doc. Kind of tired and sore...I still feel kind of fuzzy." He began trying to inventory his body. He could feel that his right leg was heavily bandaged and pretty much immobilized. He winced as he tried to move it, a rather stupid way, he concluded, of testing the extent of his injuries. His ribs were sore and he remembered his struggle to breathe of the day before. At least that seemed to have passed. His hip was bruised and sore, but he wasn't planning on moving that leg for a while anyway...been there, done that. The rest of him just felt sore and tired and battered.

He looked up to see Beckett and McKay walking towards them. "Hey, Dr. Z...I think we have visitors."

"Colonel, I see you're awake. How are you feelin'?" Beckett immediately began taking his pulse. What was it with that man and taking a person's pulse? Sheppard was obviously alive and therefore, had a pulse.

"Uh, doc, last time I checked, I was alive. How come I'm in a gown and Zelenka gets scrubs?" His expression conveyed his opinion about how unfair the situation was.

Beckett leaned back and crossed his arms. "Well, lad, for one thing, he doesn't try to escape the infirmary, which you have been known to do when you get your hands on scrubs or clothes. But a second reason is your leg. In case you haven't noticed, it's taken a lot of damage this round and it's easier to change the dressings this way. And then, finally, reason number three is because ya don't listen to me. When I tell you to get some rest, I expect you to do just that."

Sheppard sighed heavily. "I **knew** I'd be in trouble this time." He leaned his head back against the pillow and turned to look at Zelenka. "See Dr. Z, I told you he'd be too mad at me to get angry with you."

"Dr. Z?" said McKay, surprised. "Did you just call him Dr. Z? Do you know what happened to the last person who tried that?"

Dr. Zelenka looked indignant. "Colonel Sheppard may call me whatever he likes. He saved my life."

Sheppard grinned. "Think that goes both ways, Dr. Z. You saved my hide on a couple of occasions. I think we can truly call that one a team effort. By the way...thanks."

Zelenka nodded. "No problem. And thank you, Colonel." Sheppard just grinned and nodded back to him.

McKay rolled his eyes and muttered, "Love the mutual admiration society you two have going."

"You're just jealous," Zelenka and Sheppard said simultaneously. Then it was Beckett's turn to roll his eyes.

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Sheppard pouted as he watched Zelenka getting released. They had been found three days ago and had both improved tremendously. Zelenka was getting instructions from Beckett about staying off his leg and using crutches when he had to be up and when to come in for a check up. The scientist nodded at all the appropriate places and looked very attentive, occasionally pushing his glasses farther up the bridge of his nose. When Beckett was finished, Zelenka made his way to Sheppard's bed, struggling somewhat with his balance on the crutches. Sheppard thought for a minute that Beckett was going to revoke his release papers as he watched Zelenka's first unsteady steps. By the time he reached the side of the Colonel's bed, however, he seemed to have the situation under control, so Beckett nodded to them and went back to his office.

"Well, Colonel. Looks like I am leaving. I am sorry you cannot go with me. Maybe Dr. Beckett will release you soon."

Sheppard tried to plaster a fake grin on his face, but it didn't really work. "Yeah, right," he said sarcastically. "I'll be lucky if I get out of this stupid gown by Christmas. He's really pissed this time." Sheppard tried to shift to a more upright position, but only succeeded in pulling his bruised ribs. He grimaced and closed his eyes for a second, waiting on the pain to subside.

"Colonel..."

"Yeah, I'm okay. Just sore. Don't worry about it Dr. Z. He's got to release me sometime. Hey, when he does, maybe we could check out those watership-submarine things. Just watch out for sea monsters." The both chuckled at this.

"Dr. Weir says they have already sent people down to start evaluating the area. Right now, they are trying to make it safe for exploration. Maybe it will be ready when you are released and we can return. But we will watch out for monsters."

Sheppard nodded. "Hey, Dr. Z..." Sheppard rubbed the back of his neck as if trying to figure out how to say something. "You're okay Dr. Z. You take of yourself pretty well...The circumstances weren't ideal...but I enjoyed getting to know you a little better. And...thanks for giving me a kick in the butt when I needed one to keep me going down there."

The little Czech just grinned. "Thank you Colonel Sheppard. That is very nice...especially coming from you. Thank you also, for helping me. Aren't we both glad we weren't stuck with someone like Kavanagh?"

"Oh, that would have been murder. Can you imagine the whining?"

"Dr. Zelenka?" They looked up to see Beckett returning. "I thought I released you. You need to get off that foot. I do not care if you do it here or in yer quarters, but you will get off that foot."

"I'm going, I'm going." He nodded at Sheppard and began moving toward the infirmary door.

Sheppard waited on Beckett to turn his attention back to him. "So...when do I get out of here?"

Beckett smiled at him. "You're still sportin' a bit of a fever, Colonel."

"It was only 100 this morning...I asked. Oh, come on Beckett...this is so unfair. What did you expect me to do, just leave Zelenka missing while I took a nap? If I hadn't gone down there, where do you think he would be right now and what condition do you think he would be in?" Sheppard said defensively.

"That is not the point, Colonel. You disobeyed my orders."

"Actually, that is the point. Everyone here is my responsibility. I'm responsible for the safety of the city and the people in it. If you were really tired and they brought someone in who had been shot or stabbed or seriously injured, would you have them wait while you took a nap?"

"That is not the same, Colonel."

"Explain to me how it is different in light of our responsibilities." Beckett stood there speechless and Sheppard knew he had him. But he didn't smile at his victory, because he also understood Beckett's point and that he had just been fulfilling his responsibility to Sheppard. "Look. doc, I'm not trying to be a trouble-maker and I understand what you are saying...but I want you to understand that from my perspective...going to look for Zelenka was not really a matter of choice. It was a matter of responsibility. I know I can be a pain sometimes...okay, most of the time. But I was not just trying to defy your orders. It's...just my job."

Beckett's face softened somewhat. "Okay, Colonel. I get your point. Just don't make it a habit to do the opposite of what I tell you to do. And...if you're temperature is back to normal, I can probably release you after breakfast tomorrow."

Sheppard resisted the urge to cheer, afraid Beckett would change his mind.

"Hey you two. What's up?" Elizabeth walked to the foot of Sheppard's bed. "So, Carson, is he behaving himself?"

Beckett smiled. "More or less. I'll let you two visit. I've got some things to tend to."

Elizabeth sat down in the chair beside Sheppard's bed. "So...are you ready to tell me about your little adventure?"

Sheppard smiled, enjoying the thought of being out of the infirmary soon. "Yes, but you better stay sitting down, because you won't believe half of it." And he proceeded to fill her in.

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Sheppard cleared the infirmary doors, took two more steps with his crutches, and breathed a heavy sigh of relief. "Yes!" he whispered to himself.

Elizabeth, walking beside him, laughed. "What's the matter? Afraid he'd change his mind?"

"Oh yeah. You're not safe until you're out the door. I swear, if he'd given me one more set of instructions on what to do or what not to do, I'd have screamed. Don't worry!" He held up his hand as if expecting her to say something. "I was listening and I plan to obey. Now that I'm out of the doghouse, I'd like to stay that way."

"Good idea. Look, I'll come by and check on you later. Remember, Carson said you still need to get some rest. Don't stay out too long."

Sheppard grinned impishly. "Yes, mom."

Elizabeth just squinted and tilted her head forward in her best sternful look while pointing her index finger at him. Then she smiled and turned down the next hallway, heading for her office. He hadn't told her he planned to check out the "basement" they had escaped from. He wanted to see how the work there was coming. Mostly he wanted to know about the water ships. He headed for the transporter.

He arrived almost thirty minutes later. The area they had emerged from was several minutes walk from the nearest transporter and Sheppard, still tired and sore and sporting bruised ribs, wasn't setting any speed records with his crutches. He thought he made excellent time, considering. The problem would be having enough energy to get back to his quarters. He'd just have to worry about that later. He was too close to turn back now.

He reached the door they had emerged from to find it propped open and a flurry of activity around it. People were coming and going with all sorts of equipment. He managed to get in without getting knocked over and took the slanted floor down to the lower level. They had all kinds of lights set up to illuminate the area, but still didn't seem to have any power to it. He hobbled around a minute until he came to Zelenka and McKay. McKay saw him coming.

"Hey, Colonel? Are you supposed to be down here?"

"I've been officially released, if that's what you're asking."

"No...I mean does Beckett know the first thing you did was to hike halfway across the city?"

"So...does this mean you're going to tell him?" Sheppard tried to keep his expression neutral, but he wasn't sure he succeeded. The last thing he wanted was to get thrown back into the infirmary right after getting out.

McKay seemed to be thinking. "Tell you what. I'll make you a deal you can't refuse. I won't tell Beckett if you shave the beard off."

Sheppard grinned. That was too easy. He'd already decided to do that just as soon as he got to his quarters. He might as well let McKay think he was really getting something though. "Hmmmmm. Well...Okay, McKay...you win. I'll shave it off when I get back."

McKay nodded. "Good."

McKay and Zelenka proceeded to fill the Colonel in on the work. They hadn't done much yet. They were still trying to make it safe and haul out debris. The water damage was extensive. They hadn't made it to the area with the water ships yet, so those would have to be investigated later. A short time later, Sheppard began to realize his energy was fading fast.

"Guys...I'm going to head back. Keep me updated."

McKay nodded. "Will do. Hey...you over there! What do you think you're doing?" He raced over to see what a group of workmen were doing.

Zelenka looked at Sheppard. "Can you make it back, Colonel? You don't look so good."

"I'm good. I just need to get off my feet for a while. Still haven't got my strength back yet. What about you? I thought you were supposed to stay off your foot."

"I am staying off my foot. I am using crutches. And Rodney makes me sit down every few minutes. I will be fine."

"Okay, just don't over do it or Beckett will have you back in his clutches and wearing a gown. I'll see you later. Remember, watch out for the sea monsters." They both laughed.

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By the time Sheppard arrived at his quarters, he could barely stand. He sat on the bed, standing the crutches against the wall. He removed his shoes and managed to maneuver into bed, not an easy task since Beckett had his leg so bandaged up that he couldn't bend it. Once he was settled, he felt the exhaustion wash over him and the bed felt so comforting. He vowed never to let himself get that exhausted or sleep deprived again. He had almost drifted off when he heard the knock on the door, followed by a muffled voice.

"Colonel Sheppard, are you in there? We need to talk to you."

Sheppard just pulled the blanket up over his head and sank farther down into the mattress.

The End.


End file.
